Gold Forever
by AriesBalorPrincess
Summary: She didn't think her one year anniversary would end with her spending time with a not so much stranger at her brother's bar and falling asleep in the loving embrace of her best friend, when learning that her boyfriend had been cheating on her. She starts to realize that her cheating ex did her wrong but oh so right when she starts to fall deeper in love than ever before.
1. Chapter 1

_**Welcome to my newest story, which is AU. A few things first that I want to address before we get further into the story. Sebastian Smythe and Blaine Anderson are straight in this story, as it is easier for me to write them that way, as I am use to watching Grant and Darren playing straight characters. Clint might come off a little OOC, but my reasoning behind that is, after high school we all grow up therefor he has stopped being the jerk he was back then to being what I have created for him within this story.  
**_

 _ **And if you know me then you know that I like having Clint and Rachel siblings as we never got to see Clint's home life. It's a twist that I like adding to my stories.  
**_

 _ **Lastly, if any of you that read this one, happen to follow Comin' Home, do know that I haven't given up on the story and I am working on getting the next few chapters out for you all to read, it's just not coming along as fast as I would like for it to.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own Onyx, who can't be used without my permission. The rest belongs to Glee and it's rightful parties, which I am using for a bit of fun. I mean no disrespect or harm whatsoever. The title for this one comes from the song 'Gold Forever' by The Wanted.  
**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

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He easily slipped onto a bar stool ordering a beer. Half a smile filled his lips when the bartender placed his glass before him. Closing his eyes, a hand going down his face, his spare hand wrapping around the bottle, the coolness of the beer seeping into the warmth of his palm. He wanted to forget today, act like it never happened. Shitty days were rare for him. It's been years since the last one. But today his shitty day took the grand prize for the shittiest day of his life.

"You might need something stronger than a beer," the small feminine voice to his right said.

"What do you know anyway?" He snarled at her. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye. He nearly choked on his mouthful of beer to see her wearing a deep purple, curves hugging dress. The front cut down to show off just enough of her cleavage. Her dark locks piled into a classy looking bun. "Over dressed for this little run down bar," he commented.

"Can't a girl like nice?" She quipped out; eyebrow raised.

He hummed, turning back to his beer, having enough conversation with the beautiful stranger. Even in his inner turmoil he could see that she was far more than pretty, sexy didn't even cover what she is. Beautiful was the perfect word to use while describing her.

"Little miss Onyx Sage," Sam beamed. "Wasn't expecting you tonight," he commented, looking behind her, a frown on his face.

"Coming here wasn't my first option, Sammy. Is my brother in?" She questioned, already moving toward the back of the bar. Her brother would make her feel a bit better.

"Why ask if you know the answer?" He questioned with a laugh. "I will advise you that he is in a meeting with Blaine."

"What did Blaine do now?" She laughed, pausing to talk to Sam.

"Wouldn't know," Sam shrugged. "They haven't told me yet."

"Poor Sammy being left in the dark," she teased, her face turning serious. "Do me a favor Sam," she started. She wasn't asking him to do this for her, more like demanding him to, knowing he wouldn't deny her of this, wanting to look out for her. Sam nodded waiting to hear what this favor would entail. "If Hunter shows, can you tell him I'm not here?"

"What did he do?" Sam asked, a growl escaping his throat. He had a little sister, loved her dearly, and Onyx, she was another sister to him; he grew to love his best friend's little sister in that way. He would have her back like he would always have his sister's back.

"No showed our one-year anniversary, caught him face deep in some bimbo," she shrugged, voice void of emotion.

"Shit," Clint coughed. And here he thought he was having a bad day. At least, his girl dumped his sorry ass before hooking up with her supposedly best friend.

"Shit is right," Onyx stated, eyes flicking from the stranger to Sam. "Can you do that for me Sammy?" A pleading look in her blue eyes.

"That and more," he growled out.

"Don't waste too much energy on him, he isn't worth it," she said, moving to walk to her brother's office, nearly running into Blaine. "Sorry," she muttered, flashing him a smile. "What did you do?" She asked teasingly.

"Me?" He laughed. "What about you? I thought your brother said you had an important date tonight," he said.

"I did and Sam will tell you what I told him," she said, moving past him to her brother's office, shutting the door behind her.

"What did he do?" Jeff sighed, leaning back in his chair. She smiled softly sitting in the only other chair in the office. She told her brother everything. Never kept a secret from him. Found that she couldn't do that. She trusted Jeff more than she trusted her parents.

"I do love how you jump straight to the problem at hand and not beat around the bush," she said with a heavy sigh at the end.

"You've been talking about tonight for the past month. There is no way you would be here instead of with Hunter. Now spill, Onyx," he demanded in his protective brother voice.

"I know he's your friend and junk, but I don't want to see or hear his voice for a while," she told him, chewing her lip. He looked at her waiting for the rest of the story. He wasn't left waiting long. "Did you know that he was having an affair?"

"You can't be serious?" He yelled. "If I knew that shit I would've told you," he roughly told her. "I don't ever want to see you in pain, Onyx, never. If I knew about his side project, I would have told you, after punching him," he said, moving his chair around his desk to sit by her. "He won't be mentioned ever again. How'd you find out anyway? Did he break it off with you to be with her?" That didn't sound right with him, not after spending the last week listening to Hunter complaining about finding the right gift to give for their one-year anniversary.

"After an hour of waiting on him, when they gave our reservation to another couple, I went looking for him. When I found him, it wasn't a very pretty sight. No one wants to see their significant other with their face in a place it shouldn't be in another woman," she told him, her head falling to his shoulder. "I loved him, and here I thought he was the great love of my life. I am swearing guys off, Jeffy," she said.

"Just like that you are going to go back to dating woman?" He questioned. "That didn't work out last time either, if I recall. You can love whomever you wish; I don't care because I will love you regardless, but don't close yourself off to guys because what Hunter did to you. He may no longer be the greatest love of your life, but there could be another guy out there that is, or a woman. Don't close yourself off."

"Your are the best, Jeffy," she smiled, hugging him. He knew how to cheer her up, knew what to say to defuse any situation she happened to stumble upon. He looked out for her, and she truly wouldn't know what to do without him in her life. She didn't care to find out either. "Now I'm going to get hammered on you," she stated, getting up.

"One of these days I will collect," he joked, following her out. She shrugged laughing. "Sam, Onyx will have her usual," Jeff said, walking behind the counter.

"Keep 'em coming," she shouted over the music that grew louder. She took her seat next to the dude she talked to upon entering the bar. His dark hair cropped short. His appearance looking as she felt, miserable. "What's your story?" She questioned, taking the vodka mix from Sam.

"Do you make conversation with everyone you meet in a bar?" He questioned, an amused look in his blue eyes. "Or am I the lucky one?"

"I wouldn't so much say you're the lucky one," she told him, sipping on her drink. "More so the fact you look like the person that needs a distraction from your day. That is something I know all about after my day," she told him, catching her brother and friends talking in hushed whispers, looking her way. She sighed shaking her head. The worst part of coming to your brother's bar, the gossip he would be doing with his friends. She was just lucky that it happened to be Nick's night off.

"Uh yeah, couldn't help but hear about that," he said sheepishly. She shrugged, playing with the straw in her drink. It wasn't like she could say anything, it was the truth, and she didn't want to think about it any longer; it happened and now she wanted to move on. And seeing pity in a stranger's eyes no matter how pretty they happened to be was something she didn't want to see.

"Onyx is the name, though you know that. Since you know my name what's yours?" She questioned, bringing her glass to her mouth to sip from the straw.

"Clint," he said. "And my day has been horrible but not quite as bad yours," he tacked on, tipping his beer bottle up finishing it off in one smooth drink.

"Obviously, you know how my day went, want to share in the self-pity?" She questioned, her focus on her half-full drink.

"Not really," he told her. "Though it would only be fair," he sighed, playing with his empty beer bottle.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's cool," she quickly told him. Pushing him to talk about his day, wasn't something she liked to do, unless she personally knew the person, because she knew the right buttons to push. The last thing she would want to do is talk about the worst part of her day with a stranger.

"Misery loves company," he joked. She gave him a sad smile. "My ex broke up with me not even a month ago, and today I received a save the date card for their wedding. And it's not even the fact she's happy, or that she's getting married to a woman, it's more the fact that it hasn't been a month," he spit out.

"Ouch," she winced. She didn't know anyone that could move that quickly. "Isn't it a bit fast to be getting married?" She questioned, finishing off her drink, signaling to Sam for more.

"I thought so," he shrugged. "But they have known each other their whole lives. Through play dates and all," he said.

"That does make a bit more sense," she said, giving Blaine a smile when he appeared with new drinks for them.

"Want me to beat Hunter up for you? I wouldn't think he could ever do that to you. Thought his douche days ended in high school," he commented.

"Nah, it's fine. Thanks for the offer though," she smiled at him. "Jeff, my brother went to school with Blaine, and Hunter, my freshly minted ex and Nick, but he isn't working tonight. I went to a different school as they were at an all boys' private school," she told him, seeing just a hint of confusion rolling off of him.

"Ah," he replied, sipping on his new beer, growing quiet once more.

"Other than the save the date card, is there more to your tale?" She questioned, swirling her straw around the glass.

"My parents are getting divorced. With no kids in the house, they couldn't make their marriage work. They tried for the longest time; I think they finally gave up accepting defeat," he sighed. It wasn't easy to watch your parents struggle.

"My parents divorced when I was 3, Jeff was 6," she told him. "Jeff went and lived with our dad, and I went and lived with my mom. They both found other people. Our dad is happily married and our mom, she is in a happy relationship; they're not married, but she makes my mom happy. I think the hardest part for me growing up is that I didn't have Jeff there to play with every day. Every two weeks we spent it at the same house, two and half months during the summer we spent together. It just wasn't the same," she rambled on, taking a long drink of her beverage.

"Having a sibling constantly around isn't as fun as one would think. My older sister drove me nuts, though she is my best friend," he chuckled. "Much like I suspect Jeff is to you," he commented.

"He is," she smiled, feeling happy for the first time that night since finding out her boyfriend had a piece on the side.

"Typical behavior Onyx." Anger consumed her face, turning to the voice that scoffed next to her.

"What do you want Hunter?" She questioned. "Bree not good enough for you?" She spat at him.

"Real classy," he dryly laughed. "Little miss perfect isn't so perfect. Look at you Onyx, picking up a stranger at your brother's bar. That's real classy of you," he quipped out.

"Hard to pick up an old friend," Clint cut in. "I moved back to town, thought I would catch up with some old friends," he tacked on a snarl escaping.

"Like I believe that story. She didn't even go to school here, heck none of us did. She went to school in Ohio, at Carmel," he sneered. "Nice cover up, Onyx."

"Carmel is in Akron, Ohio," he said, having gone there himself, making the drive from Lima, Ohio. "I spent a year here after high school before heading to Philly for college," he stated, covering up the surprise at knowing that the once stranger went to the same high school as him. "Kill or be killed," he smirked.

"FYI Hunter, I don't need a cover to talk to friends or any strangers in this bar. You get no say about my life. Now leave," she snipped at him.

"Not going to happen, Onyx. They are my friends after all," he smirked.

She got up from her stool. "Suit yourself, just know they want to pummel you for hurting little me, so enjoy," she winked, turning to Clint. "Want to get out of here, and we can discuss the high points of high school?" She asked.

"He will get bored with you like I did," he laughed.

Not even thinking about her actions, she picked her glass up, tossing the remaining liquid inside it in his face, a pleased smirk on her face. "You are nothing but a low-life prick," she said between clenched teeth. "Ready?" She asked turning to look at Clint a sweet smile on her face.

"Absolutely," he chuckled, holding his arm out for her. She laughed, slipping her arm through his.

"Call me when you get home," Jeff yelled at her. She waved her free hand not even turning to look at him. "What the hell dude? How could you be so stupid? Why?" She heard Jeff asking Hunter as the door shut behind them.

"Did you really go to Carmel?" She questioned on the short walk to her apartment.

"I did," he laughed. "Look in your yearbook. You have one don't you?" He asked her. She nodded her head.

"I left after my Sophomore year."

"Might be why I don't remember seeing you in the halls," he said. "Were you a part of Vocal Adrenaline?"

"I was. I loved show choir. That means that I faced you in competitions," she giggled. "I became a part of New Directions," she told him.

"Then I apologize for my actions. I was a grade A jerk back then," he said shaking his head. "I have learned the errors of my ways."

"Good to know," she smiled, digging her keys from her clutch. "This is me," she told him, walking up the front steps to the apartment building.

He followed her silently to the elevators, waiting only a few seconds for the doors to open. He stood in a corner, watching her hit the button for the 4th floor.

"You're in luck my roommate is out for the night," she told him, turning left down a hall. "He'd ask you more questions than my brother."

"You live with a guy?" He asked, stopping behind her at apartment 424. He didn't see anything wrong with that, positive plenty of the opposite sex roomed together.

"Yep," she smiled. "He's my best friend, which is weird in sorts as he didn't get along with Jeff or Blaine growing up. But we clicked from the start. Met him when I was 14. He went to school with my brother. Hey you should know the school. Dalton," she rattled off, holding the door open for him.

"The Warblers?" He questioned with a laugh.

"That would be them," she smiled. "Make yourself at home. Beer is in the fridge. I'm going to change into something else and grab my yearbooks," she informed him, walking down the one short hall that held both bedrooms and the bathroom.

The second her door shut she slipped from the dress, tossing it over the back of her vanity chair. Grabbing yoga pants and a hoodie that belonged to Sebastian Smythe, her best friend and roomie. She pulled her hair from the updo, running her fingers through her locks, walking barefoot back to the main part of the apartment, stopping at the halfway closet, pulling one of many boxes from the shelf.

He seriously lost count of how many times he has choked on his beer. Seeing her dressed for a lazy night, for comfort rather than a night in, he didn't think she had looked better than she did in that moment.

"Need a hand?" He asked, from his spot on the couch.

"I've got it," she told him, walking to the living room with two yearbooks. "Be prepared, I will make fun of your picture," she smirked, plopping down next to him.

"That is fair, since I plan on doing the same," he laughed.

They started with the first page laughing at the faces they knew so long ago, saying what each person happened to be doing if they knew. Shared any gossip they had. She laughed coming across his picture on the first page.

"Your hair is the same," she smiled. She found it hard to pick fun of him when he made his school picture look like a model shot. "I still don't remember seeing you. I don't even remember being on VA with you that year," she told him, wracking her brain to remember him.

"That year I was a shy little thing," he shrugged. He didn't remember her either, though he had yet to see her picture to know what she truly looked like that year.

She nodded and went back to laughing at the other pictures. A slow progress to go from the B's to the S's. She spotted her picture right away knowing he would laugh at her picture. Why she let her friends talk her into wearing her hair in a side pony and a headband. Her friends wanting to do a 90's retro style. From the corner of her eye, she could see the moment he saw her picture. Laughter colored his face.

"Shame I didn't know you back then. You looked to be all sorts of fun," he smirked. "Living in the 90's that is," he laughed. She smacked his arm.

"Shut up. Friends talked me into it," she mumbled, flipping the page.

"You made it work," he winked, stopping her page turning, when they came across the pages filled with various pictures of VA. "One would think that we knew each other," he pointed out. They were standing on opposite sides of the group picture. "We never worked together though, I would clearly remember that."

"I guess we stuck to our own friends," she shrugged. "It's shame though. I would have liked to know you back then," she said, closing the yearbook and getting the second one out. "I spent a total of 3 months in VA before busting my leg in three places."

"What happened?" He remembered something about someone getting kicked off VA because they couldn't keep up. That is how the show choir went.

"Motorcycle accident," she shrugged. "Remember Jesse St. James?"

"The dude is a legend," he laughed. "You didn't have some sort of twisted love story going on with him did you?" He questioned through his laughter.

"Yuck no," she laughed. "He was a mentor to me that year, until I met Cooper and turned my attention to acting. But Blaine's brother is a nut job, and acting didn't work out either," she laughed, stopping at his picture for Sophomore year. "Personally, I like the bald look," she smirked.

"Most everyone does," he laughed. "Haven't felt like shaving my hair off though," he commented, running a hand through his hair.

"To each their own," she commented, going back to the pictures before her. Laughing at some of the more ridiculous ones. Again, she groaned seeing her picture.

"Blonde huh?" He asked.

"I wanted to have blonde hair like my brother," she lamely explained. "No one believed that we were related because he has blonde hair, and I have dark-brown hair. I take after our mom, and he has our dad's hair. I wanted to be rebellious."

"You can pull the blonde look off. Though I like your dark locks better," he smirked, twirling some around his finger.

"Sweetie, Jeff told me what happened," Seb said walking into the place, breaking up the moment he didn't know was happening on the living room couch. "Brought the ice cream, let me change, and we can watch your movie," he called moving to the kitchen not even looking to the living room.

"That won't be necessary," she called out. Sebastian spun around ready to fire question after question at her.

"Oh," he squeaked out. "I'll be in my room if you need me," he gestured to his room. "Don't do anything rash," he warned, walking to his room.

"Sorry about him," she smiled awkwardly.

"It's fine. I should get going," he said standing up. "It was nice to meet you under the circumstances," he said, walking to the door.

"It really was," she smiled. "Can I see your phone?" She questioned. He dug the device out of his pocket, handing it over, watching her carefully. With her number safely saved in his contact list, she handed it back. "Don't be a stranger," she told him.

He smiled, slipping from the apartment. She locked the door behind him, cleaning up his empty beer bottle and putting the yearbooks back where they went. While she was turning the lights off her phone came to life with a text message. **Never.**

She smiled, walking down the hall slipping into Seb's room instead of her room. He moved over in his bed letting her climb in next to her. She cuddled into his side. Most people thought more was going on between the friends than they let on, but that was never the case. Neither one saw the other as more than a friend. Like a sibling's love for each other.

"How was your date?" She questioned. "I do hope it was better than mine."

"And that little gathering in the living room wasn't part of it?" He laughed, pulling her closer.

"We went to the same school for two years," she responded. She felt clueless for not even knowing a fellow classmate. For not knowing everyone she used to be on a team with. It wasn't like she tried to blend in back in high school. She loved sticking out, loved having all the attention on her. "But he wasn't," she said shaking her head. He was a nice perk, a distraction from the nightmare her love life turned into. "I should be with Hunter, but he ruined that," she sighed, closing her eyes.

"He ruined the best thing to enter his life," he whispered, his chin resting on top of her head. "My date was good. Granted it was only the second date. Even so, I really like her." If she had her eyes open she was 99 percent sure he had a blush covering his cheeks.

"I'm happy for you. When do I get to meet her?" She questioned. "Does she know about me?" She hated how his girlfriend's in the past judged him for having her as a roommate. How they couldn't trust him while living with her. Gave him an ultimatum, one where he picked her over them every time. He told her that if they couldn't accept his friendship with her; he couldn't accept being with them. He would never choose someone who couldn't accept how close he is to her. It eased the guilt she felt for driving a potential love interest away, but never got rid of the guilt she felt for doing so.

"She does. I didn't want to fall too deep and her leave because she couldn't deal that I had a best friend and a roommate who is a woman. It doesn't bother her," he responded.

"Good, you deserve to be happy, Sebby," she smiled. Maybe this once he could find his happily ever after, his new beginning, his soul mate.

"So do you, sweetie," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

"And I will have it one day," she responded with a yawn. "I know sleep," she said rolling her eyes, getting a laugh from the man her head rested upon.


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to say that Bold is Clint texting and Onyx is in Italics towards the end. Enjoy this chapter.**

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"Help me, please," she whined, her bottom lip sticking out looking at her brother. Jeff chuckled, shaking his head. "Why not?" She sighed, going back to setting the table. "It is your fault," she tried.

"Oh no you don't," he said, turning back to the pot on the stove. "I did not tell you to date him. I advised against it, not wanting my baby sister to get involved with my friends, for this exact reason. Now you get to man up and tell mom and Lydia you broke it off. I will help you to an extent if things get a bit awkward, but you are a big girl," he smirked.

"I hate you," she mumbled, sticking her tongue out at him behind his back. "I am not going to tell them why we broke up. I can't handle that humiliation," she stated, shaking her head.

"Tell them what you want, Onyx. Remember they will figure out the truth. They can tell when you are lying."

"That doesn't help me, Jeffy," she whined, peering over his shoulder. "I don't think they need to know everything that went on with Hunter. It's not like I am going to be lying to them."

"We are not in high school anymore," he told her. "You don't have to keep anything from them, but again you don't have to tell them things you are not comfortable with. Even so, we both know mom she will want to know why things with Hunter didn't work out after a year."

"It's not like we were living together yet," she mumbled under her breath. They had talked about living together a couple of times, but something held her back from ever taking that step. Whether it happened to be that she couldn't fully see a future with him, or if it was because she wasn't ready for their relationship to take that serious of a turn, living with Hunter didn't happen.

"You only had yourself to blame for that. Just because our parents didn't work out, didn't mean things with Hunter would have ended the same way," he quickly cut in.

"But they did," she stated, letting a cupboard door slam shut.

"Do you think things would have worked out different if you had moved in with him to begin with?" Jeff questioned.

"Whose side are you on?"

Best friend or not, she thought her brother would have her back on this whole thing. She didn't make Hunter step out on her. He did that on his own. Whether she lived with him or not, it was not a valid reason for him to cheat on her. He shouldn't have cheated on her to begin with. He knew how to voice his opinions and his concerns; he could have talked to her about them. Their relationship wasn't one sided. He couldn't avoid fighting with her because he didn't want to fight. If he really wanted to see other people, if the spark for him was no longer there he should have said something and broke it off and not cheated on her. She could have handled a breakup, but cheating, that was a bit harder to come to terms with. Was she not good enough?

"Don't even," he warned, turning burners on the stove off. "At this point in our lives, you should know that I will always have your back. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to question your choices."

"I wouldn't do that to you," she told him. He gave her a pointed look, knowing her better than that. "Okay fine I would but it's not like you have a girlfriend to begin with," she retorted.

"Because my sister keeps her friends away from the bar," he teased.

"Most of my friends are either in relationships, or they don't like guys, and lastly they do like guys but you prefer chicks," she laughed. "And the last time you dated one of my friends she stopped being my friend the very second you broke her heart claiming I put you up to it," she said, rolling her eyes. Like she would ever make her brother break up with a girlfriend, whether or not she liked who he was dating. As long as he was happy she wouldn't interfere unless drastic measures were needed and then them breaking up happened to be for the best.

"A thank you is in order for that one. She was a crazy one," he laughed.

"I won't say it," she said, tensing up for a second hearing the knock at the door. "I should let you answer the door since it's your place," she told him in the process of opening the door. His laugh following behind her. "Mom, Lydia, hi, please come in," she greeted, holding the door open.

"Onyx my sweet girl," her mom said, pulling her into a tight hug. "You're looking too thin, are you eating enough?"

"Jade, leave her be," Lydia laughed, taking her turn in hugging Onyx. "You are eating plenty right?"

Onyx laughed, assuring them both she was eating more than enough. That lead to questions about her being with child which took far longer than she would have liked for it to be put to an end. She feared the topic would be brought up later in the night.

"Jeffery it smells divine in here," their mom said, pulling her son into a hug. "I swear neither one of kids are eating enough," she commented.

"Trust me mom, we eat plenty," Jeff laughed, sharing a look with his sister. "Lydia, how are you?" He asked, getting a hug from his step mom.

"Just fine," she replied. "How are you? The bar?"

"Good and good," he laughed. "Dinner won't be much longer," he informed them. "If you want something to drink Onyx can help you or grab whatever," he told them.

"Where's Hunter? I was told last week he would be here tonight," their mom inquired. "Is he running late?"

"He won't be coming," Onyx told them, ready to get the news out there and get it wrapped up before they eat. "We broke up two days ago."

"Such a shame, Onyx. Why did you two break up?"

"Things were no longer working out," she told them keeping it as simple as possible, wanting to leave it at that.

"Dinner is served," Jeff called placing the last of the meal on the table. She sent her brother a small smile taking her spot across from Jeff, leaving them to sit between their mom and Lydia.

They made small talk taking a moment to catch up on whatever they had going on in their lives. The siblings asked about their trip to the city and how they were liking it thus far. And what else they had planned before heading back home to Ohio.

Thanks in part to her brother telling nonstop stories of the guys at the bar and how the bar is doing, any and all talk about Hunter was nonexistent, until a story with Hunter came up. Her mom wouldn't let it go being reminded that she didn't get the answer about the break up, she wanted. The second the name came out of Jeff's mouth he gave his sister a sorry look. She couldn't be mad at him. This is her mess and not his and Hunter is one of his friends; he was bound to come up at some point.

"Speaking of Hunter," their mother said, turning her attention solely back on her daughter. She groaned to herself forcing herself to be okay with the questions she knew her mom had ready to fire her way. "I don't get why you would break up with him for, Onyx. He was a wonderful guy, and you are not getting any younger," her mother said.

"Things weren't working out, much like things didn't work out with you and dad," she bit out. She knew how old she was and how great of a guy Hunter was right up until she caught him with Bree.

"What are you saying young lady? Is this your way of coming out? Did things with Hunter not work out because you would rather be with a woman?" Her mom asked, not a bit shocked by the news of it.

"That's not what I am saying. I've been with women before, but that doesn't mean I am giving guys up. Whoever I end up with it will be because I love them regardless of their gender," she stated.

"Then why break up with Hunter?" Her mom asked once again. Having her mom on her case, she was ready to give in and tell her the truth. That she wasn't worth anyone's time, not for the long haul it seemed. Until she heard her brother talking. Words she couldn't believe him to be saying.

"I have a girlfriend," Jeff piped in, feeling the annoyance of his sister. The look of desperation on her face. Lying for her wouldn't kill him, he used to do it all the time, it was the one thing he had trouble doing when they were kids, but over time, it got easier for him. And the fact the lie is about him having found love, his mother wouldn't be watching him but instead wanting to know the details.

"When did this happen? Who is she? I want to meet her before I leave. Maybe your sister can reconcile with Hunter, and we can make a night of it," she told her kids.

"Let's not worry about Hunter," Onyx stated a gleam in her eyes. "I want to hear about this girlfriend of yours. Do I know her? When do I get to meet her?" She questioned, wondering just how far he would be pushing the topic.

"Don't you know, sis?" He asked in a teasing tone. She shook her head, a gut feeling on what his next words could possibly be. "She is your friend, so I thought she told you. That does explain why you haven't freaked on me yet about dating your friend," he tossed out, wanting to give her enough time to think of a friend, that way he didn't have to find some random stranger to convince to be his fake girlfriend to fool his mom.

"I can't really think of anyone," she said shaking her head, going through her friends in her head, finding any that are single. "Unless a breakup happened and I wasn't told," she told him. "Mind giving me a little hint?"

"She is awfully sweet," he smirked. Hearing that it dawned on her who he could possibly be talking about. She didn't know the two of them knew each other.

"How do you know Sugar?" She questioned, not able to piece it together, thinking she might have been drunk when they met.

"A few weeks back when you were running late for girl's night. I was hanging out with Seb when she showed up." She frowned not remembering her brother being there when she returned home. "I left before you showed, I had to be at the bar that night," he chuckled, seeing the confusion on her face.

"And no one thought to tell me this?" She asked, feeling her anger bubble up. After the disaster of him dating one of her friends before she couldn't believe he could even use her friend as a white lie to help her out. She caused no trouble between Hunter and Jeff. Didn't tell either one they couldn't talk or hang out cause she was no longer dating Hunter. They were friends longer than she dated him; she had no place to tell them they couldn't be friends any longer. Not like Lucy had done when Jeff broke up with her, losing who she thought at the time was a really good friend of hers.

"It's still early; I wanted to find a better time to run it past you. But with everything going on, it never seemed right," he explained, looking far more guilty than one should while covering ground in a lie. It made her question if he happened to be lying or stating the truth. For the first time in her life, she couldn't tell if your brother was lying or not.

"Maybe next time you run the idea past me before you start to date my friend," she told him, a bit more bite to her words than she intended for there to be.

"Whatever Onyx. I wasn't okay with you dating Hunter, but I didn't get all pissy about it," he snapped at her, his fun joking side gone now. "Lucy was a cold-hearted bitch. Don't you get it that she used you to date me?" He asked. He easily regretted those words the second they left his mouth.

"I do now," she told him softly. "I may not like it, but you have my blessing to be with her," she told him.

"Perfect we leave in a week. We will get reservations for the six of us." Hearing her mom's orders, the finality in her voice, she knew there was no arguing about Hunter not being there. She knew in an instant any of the guys at the bar would help her out with this, but she didn't know if she really wanted to subject them to it. She wouldn't be asking Hunter to do this for her. Those emotions were by far way to fresh to play nice for a night to appease her mother.

"Sweetie, you don't have to bring Hunter. It's obvious to see that the breakup was a hard one. Your mom means well; she just doesn't know when to stop. You'll find someone else that you won't be able to live without. I'll talk to your mom about it, okay?" Lydia told her, the second her mom started to help Jeff cleanup from dinner.

"Thank you. It is hard, Lyd. I caught him cheating. There is no way that I can take him back after that, and I won't play nice," she confessed. She found that it was easier to talk to Lydia because she didn't judge you on what choices you made like her mom did.

"You shouldn't have to," she said, getting no sympathy or pity from her. "You'll find the perfect person for you. Your relationship with Hunter is only preparing you for the great love of your life, sweetie," she offered.

"I do now. And I am sure I will appreciate that bit of wisdom when it doesn't hurt so much," she shared.

"Keep an open mind. Love is waiting for you," she smiled, getting up.

With good-byes and promises of making a visit home in the next few months. And the promise of meeting up for that triple date with them in a week, the parents left.

"You and Sugar. What's the deal?" Onyx asked, reclined in the chair, feet on the coffee table, ignoring the annoyed look her brother is giving her.

"I like her," he shrugged. "We haven't been out on a date. I want to ask her out. However, I wouldn't do that to you, never again," he promised. "What I said about Lucy using you," he started to say.

"Water under the bridge. That relationship is old news. I don't even care. So didn't even apologize for that offhanded comment," she told him. "I should go," she said, getting up. "If you do start to date Sugar, please be careful. Don't hurt her, she's a special one," she smiled, loving her friend dearly.

"Yeah, she is," Jeff responded with a dreamy smile on his face. "I wouldn't dream of hurting her, not on purpose," he said, walking his sister to the door. "Let me know you made it home safe?"

"Always do. Or try to," she reminded him, stepping out the door. She lives five blocks away from her brother. Giving him a hug she headed towards the elevator. The second the door slid open she stood in shock at who was on the other side. "What are you doing here?" She questioned, stepping in, seeing he was headed to the lobby.

"I live here," he chuckled. "What are you doing here?" He asked a smirk on his face. "You're not stalking me are you?" He teased. She rolled her yes giving him a shove.

"You wish," she retorted dryly. "My brother lives here," she told him. "I've never seen you here before," she commented.

"Moved in last week," he shrugged. "Bit nosey tonight," he chuckled.

"Sorry, had a dinner with my moms." She did see Lydia as a mother figure, for her, it is easier to call Lydia by name instead of mom. On occasion, she would call her mom; Lydia didn't mind either way.

"By the defeated look you're sporting, it didn't go well," he pointed out. She shook her head, stepping from the elevator.

"My mom wouldn't get off my case about Hunter. She thinks I need to get back together with him. I didn't tell her about him cheating on me on our anniversary. I couldn't take that judgement from her."

"I wouldn't have judged you on that, Onyx. I thought you would know that."

"Mom, Lydia," she said turning around. "What are you doing back here?" She questioned.

"Forgot my purse," Lydia sheepish told her. "Took the stairs as your mother has this new thing that we have to take the stairs."

"It's good for you," her mom stated. "You should take them all the time," she said looking pointedly at her daughter. "Who is this young man?"

"Clint," she said. "My mom Jade and Lydia," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you both," he smiled, holding his hand out.

"Is he the reason Hunter cheated on you. I certainly see why Hunter would be jealous for," her mom winked.

"No mom, he's not the reason why and please stop ogling my friends up," she said in embarrassment.

"Honey we can't blame you if you jump him," Lydia winked. "Come on dear, let's leave these two to the rest of their night," she said, taking her girlfriend's hand.

"Remember sweetie, don't do anything too outrageous and protection is your friend," her mom called out with a laugh walking out of the lobby of the building.

"I am sorry about them. They drank far too much wine at dinner," she stated, shaking her head. She could feel the heat in her cheeks over her mother's comments about Clint.

"It's a parent's duty to embarrass their kids in front of a potential suitor," he stated, placing his hand on the small of her back to lead her out into the street.

"Suitor, huh?" She asked shyly, a deeper shade of red covering her face.

"Once you are over your douche bag of an ex, that is," he smirked. "You okay with that?"

"I think I am," she smiled at him. "What are your plans for the night?" She asked, walking towards the direction of her place.

"Hanging out with friends," he vaguely told her. He did have a bit of business to discuss with the rest of them. "Meeting of sorts with the guys."

"So drinking and finding an easy lay for the night?" She asked, feeling a bit hurt that he would do that after saying he was waiting on her to be ready.

"Drinking yes and two of them might be looking for the easy lay, but I have something better. I have you," he smirked, tossing an arm around her shoulder. "You can come with if you want," he suggested, showing her that he was serious about not needing some random stranger to warm his bed, not when he was waiting for her to be over the ex. If it meant being with her, he would do whatever it took to prove to her that he wanted no one else.

"I'll have to pass. It's movie night with Seb after he makes me spill about the dinner tonight. On second thought let's go," she told him.

"I don't think so," he chuckled. "I'd have all the guys from the bar ready to throw down because you didn't show up at home and your moms know that we're together," he replied.

"How right you are and we don't need them to beat you up. I, quite frankly, like the way you look, except maybe for the hair," she giggled, running a hand through his hair.

"You like the bald look; I'll keep that in mind," he smirked.

"Just on you," she told him, dropping her hand. Hunter had plenty of hair for her to play in, but there was something about seeing Clint with a bald head that did her in.

"I like your hair long so don't go cutting it off," he husked in her ear, sending shivers down her body, her lip being sucked between her teeth.

"Like I would chop my hair off, you crazy?" She asked in a steady voice, not wanting him to know how truly affected he made her.

"Only for you," he winked, stopping in front of her building. "I trust you'll be fine going up to your place?" She nodded, kissing his cheek.

"Thank you for walking me home," she told him.

"It was a pleasure," he winked. "Thank you for letting me."

"Night Clint," she told him, walking to the front door, to unlock it.

"Night Onyx," he waved waiting until he could no longer see her through the glass, before he continued on his way.

With his hands stuffed in his front pockets he walked the next few blocks to the bar he agreed to meet his friends at. His mind drifting back to Onyx and how on only the second meeting with her just how screwed he is when it comes to her. He never was the boyfriend type, didn't need a girlfriend, wanted to live the bachelor life. Funny how it was slowly changing when Onyx happened to be involved.

"Running late," chuckled Vincent.

"Shut up," he tossed out, going to the bar to grab himself a drink. His thoughts were focused on his feelings for Onyx that he didn't realize the bar he walked into until Sam slid a beer cross the bartop to him without him even needing to say what he was having.

"On the house, boss's orders," Sam told him. He shrugged taking his free drink back to his group of friends.

"What took so long?" Dereck questioned, taking a swig of his own drink.

"Nothing," he defended, not wanting to talk about how fucked he is slowly becoming. "Let's talk about business, shall we?"

"I'm saying nothing has a name," Jason chuckled. "But business, yes," he easily agreed.

It didn't take long for them to go from talking about the reason Clint was a few minutes late to what they wanted to do work wise. Odd enough or you could call it irony that they were planning on opening a Jazz club in the same area the bar they sat in happened to be located in. They each had a different aspect of the club they would be investing in, as Clint would solely be the owner of the place as the others would move onto the next project lined up for them.

"We didn't order any drinks," Phillip stated confused as the server set the drinks on the table around them.

"No, but they come from the boss," she chuckled. "A thank you for watching out for his sister," she winked in Clint's direction walking off.

"So nothing huh?" Jason laughed. "Nothing seems to be someone rather important at this bar."

"It's messed up," he shrugged it off, going back to his drink. He couldn't explain the situation to his buddies, not without explaining about her private situation, and he wouldn't toss her under the bus like that. They didn't need to know that much about her. "Her name is Onyx," he caved, giving them a bit more to go on.

"How exactly were you watching out for this Onyx chick?" Vincent questioned, leaning forward.

"Don't matter," he stated, downing the rest of his beer.

"Something matters, cause there are chicks everywhere drooling, and you haven't noticed. She special?" Vincent asked him. He nodded his head. They would call him out if he lied.

"Like you wouldn't believe," he stated, taking a pull from his beer. "She's always on my mind," he confessed. Surprised when his buddies didn't start to ridicule him for it.

"Dude about time love bites you in the ass," Vincent smirked.

He rolled his eyes, catching a frantic Jeff back by the bar. He couldn't hear what was going on or what it was about, but he started to panic thinking it had something to do with Onyx.

"Why the hell would you even do something so stupid for, Onyx?" Jeff questioned a mixture of annoyance and concern in his tone. Clint could only hear what Jeff was saying, wishing he knew what was being said on the other end of the call. "Is anything broken?" That one question freaked him out, suddenly very worried for her. "Let me know when you know something. I mean it Onyx," he warned, hanging his phone up. "Anybody want a sister?" He asked, pocketing his phone.

"What happened?" He heard himself ask. It felt as if the whole bar had eyes on him with that one little question.

"She convinced Sebastian to head out to the movies. Ran into Bree the chick Hunter cheated on her with, and she wouldn't stop running her mouth, Onyx being Onyx punched her. Fight broke out and now my dear sister is sitting in the ER waiting to see if her hand is broken," he quickly explained.

With a nod, he went back to his friends, pulling his phone out as he sat down, ignoring the looks his friends were shooting his way, opting to stay focused on the text message he was composing. **Heard the show was before the movie!**

 _Haha. You're so funny!_

 **I try. ;)**

 _How'd ya hear?_

 **At your brothers bar. He's ready to sell ya to the highest bidder.**

 _Make sure it's not some creep._

 **Will try my hardest!**

 _Good! Docs in. Talk later?_

 **You bet. Gotta know how banged up you are.**

"And he says it's nothing," Dereck joked. "Nothing sure is special."

"Shut up," he growled. "You guys I have liked a woman before. Enough to date them," he grunted. Who gave a crap if he had feelings for this girl? She was like no one else. Made him want to know more about her, have her know more about him and not just in the physical way. She was a good one and worth the wait in gold.

"But you haven't since we were in high school. You made every excuse in the book not to ask anyone out, opting instead to hook up with random women. Your focus and drive on VA. Was it worth it?" Phillip asked.

The easy answer no it wasn't worth it. Not now it wasn't. Back when he was in school and thought that VA was the answer to the top, that everything he wanted came from being the best, it was worth it.

"I can't answer that question," he sighed. He wanted to be a hot-shot artist and for a hot minute he had been, but he walked away not getting the thrill he thrived for any longer. "That is one question that the answer will change for," he said, shaking his head. "And Vinny I'm not in love." That little statement was walking the line, because he knew if he let himself, he could easily fall head over ass in love with Onyx.

"You say that now, we'll see about that in few months or so," Phillip smirked. "Nothing is wrong with being in love dude. Look at myself and Vincent. We are happily in love, waiting for the rest of ya to join us."

"He is right," Vincent pointed out, talking about his fiancee back at home waiting on his return.

Clint couldn't say anything, knowing his friends were right. It wouldn't take much more for him to fall for her. And oddly enough he was okay with that. With the two meetings and the handful of messages sent he liked spending time with her. If only her ex hadn't messed her up the way he had. However, if he hadn't done so, he wouldn't even have this chance with her. Really, it was a blessing for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I mention a character, Mikki, that belongs to KikiJuanita. She has given me her permission to use Mikki. She cannot be used without KikiJuanita's say so. Onyx belongs to me and she cannot be used without my permission. Enjoy!**

* * *

With her arm in a cast, she found herself laying on the couch, watching some rerun Sebastian had put it on, neither one of them watching the TV screen. Her feet tossed over his lap, as she picked at the gaudy-green color of the cast. She really should have known better than to let Seb pick the color out. At least, it wasn't pink, that is one color she can never like.

"I will smack your hands, if you keep that up," he warned, not even taking his eyes from the TV.

"You're no fun, Seb. Don't you have a girlfriend to bug?" She asked, dropping her arm off the couch.

"No, she's working today," he replied. "The not so pleasant joys of Summer vacation." She rolled her eyes at that. They didn't have a summer vacation, not with planning for the upcoming school year, learning seminars, tutoring and even doing summer school.

"You can go work at a boarding school," she offered. She much preferred her summer vacation. In another week, she would be doing a bit of tutoring at the community center, three days a week. Sebastian joining her.

"I don't miss school that much," he laughed, flicking her ankle. "How are things with you and that guy?" She rolled her eyes, not finding it funny. "What?" He laughed.

"I get it; I talk about him more than I should," she sighed. "He's a nice break from thinking about Hunter."

"You should talk to Hunter. I've seen that he has called a handful of times over the past few days. I do think that you need to hear him out. Get the closure you need to move on," he explained.

"I don't know if I am ready for that, Seb," she sighed, chewing her lip. "I know I need the closure, took me forever to get over Mason; Madison still won't talk to me over that," she said sadly. Madison had been one of her good friends in school. Encouraged her to date her twin brother. A love story written in the stars for the two of them, until it no longer was a love story. Two years together couldn't fix the distance placed between them. Cheating seemed to be the recurring theme in her life when it came to boyfriends. She has yet to get the answers she so desperately wanted when it first happened.

"Like you made him cheat on you with Jane," he said shaking his head.

"No, but she is his twin therefore she will take his side. Not that it matters because I have the best of friends now," she replied, nudging him with her foot.

"Stupid if you ask me," he said shaking his head. "You'll always have us; no stupid ex will change that."

"That should make me feel loved, but the way you are talking about your friend makes me question your friendship," she told him, ignoring her phone on the coffee table.

"You are loved," he stated, moving to grab her phone. "What did your brother do?"

"Put me in the weirdest spot I could possible be," she replied. "What does his message say?" She inquired, making a move to sit up, Seb giving her a stern look, forcing her to lay back down.

"Please with a bunch of emoji faces," he told her, bypassing her lock screen. "You should change that," he laughed, typing in a quick reply and sending it.

"What did you send to him? And yeah the same goes for you. Had a lovely conversation with a miss Mikki. Invited her over for dinner Wednesday," she laughed.

"I see how it is," he smirked, finding the name he needed and sending an invite to him. "Now it's a double date," he smirked, handing her phone over.

"Sebastian Smythe I am going to kill you!" She screeched, looking over the messages he sent. Her brother could wait; it is part of her punishment for him. But the message he sent to Clint; it would be costing him his life.

"What did I do?" He questioned through a laugh, looking at his friend like she is completely and utterly crazy. "It is called payback for a reason."

"Except I never made a date with Mikki to come here. Ever heard of a joke? I talked to her when you left your phone out here, but I didn't invite her over for dinner. We made plans to shop so we could get to know each other that way, it won't be awkward when she is here," she explained, seeing the message thread on her phone with Clint unchanged since the message Seb sent.

"How was I supposed to know?" He questioned. "It's not like you to make a joke about my girlfriends. You talk about them but never joke like that."

"Maybe you should have confirmed it to be true before ruining the friendship I have with Clint," she told him, her anger still the emotion driving her.

"Relax, Onyx," he chuckled. "It is a Monday and he has work to do; he will get back to you. I didn't ruin anything. If anything I gave this friendship of yours a kick it needs," he shrugged, acting way calmer than she is.

"It doesn't need a kick; I'm not ready for anything more, Seb. We've been through this before," she complained. Friends is all she can do.

"Whatever you say," he responded. "It's not like the invite for him to come here says date night. I simply told him to come hang out with my friends."

"And relieve me as the odd one out," she said, reading that straight from her phone. "What are you going to do have everyone and their significant others over for the night?" She questioned. "Yes you are," she told him snapping her fingers. An idea for Jeff and Sugar to hit it off without the bar playing a part of it.

"It is going to take a bit to make it happen on Wednesday night," he pointed out. "We can't pull it off in just a few days."

"Then you best get busy," she told him. "It's not like the guys are going to pass up a chance to come hang out and play games or whatever," she told him. "The most you need to do is send a group text and clean the place a bit. Ordering in is a life saver, dude," she told him.

"I see no way out of this," he caved. "I did get you into this mess, the least I can do is throw a friend night, to help my best friend out," he told her. "While I get plans finalized, you might want to head over to Jeff's place, might do some good to work out the sibling quarrel you have going on."

Taking up Sebastian's offer she changed into something that wasn't filled with holes to venture to her brother's place, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone she knew, mainly Clint as she didn't want to be rejected by him in person. Text would be bad enough.

"Miss Onyx, I haven't seen you around in a while," Mrs. McDevitt said, letting her enter the building with her.

"I've been around. Just here a few days ago," she told her, pushing the button to call the elevator. "Jeff mentioned you flew out to Vermont. How are the grandkids?" She asked, letting her get on the elevator first. Hearing an out of breath hold the elevator, she did as asked, hating when people would be rude and let the door shut making her wait that much longer.

"They're fine, growing up so fast. My son is wanting me to move out there, but I don't think I can handle the snow," she sighed.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of snow," she replied, her smile falling seeing that Clint entered the elevator. Without him asking, she hit the button for his floor. "Family is family; I can see why he wants you to be closer to him."

"To hover over me, like he doesn't do that now. He may be on the other side of the US, but it's like he's right here. I am his mother after all, I raised him," she ranted.

"He's only looking out for you. You raised him right," she offered. "You can't disagree that it would be nice to see your grandkids a bit more," she added on.

"Now you sound like my kid," she laughed. "I'll think about it," she offered, getting off at her floor.

"Should I even ask?" He asked with a chuckle, moving a bit closer to her. She said nothing giving him a shrug, her eyes focused on the floor. "Okay," he commented at her funny behavior. "Are you okay?" She nodded, still not looking at him. "What the hell, Onyx? I thought things were good between us, and now you're pulling this little act of not knowing me."

"You're crazy," she replied, stepping off the elevator. Thinking she was free was the wrong thing to think because he stepped around her stopping her. Lightly he backed her into the corner. "What?" She snapped.

"You tell me," he told her. "What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing," she told him. He cocked an eyebrow not believing her. "Check your messages and you'll figure it out," she told him quietly.

"My messages?" He questioned, pulling his phone from his pocket. "I don't know what they have to do with anything. Not that I have any unread messages, from you or anyone," he told her.

"Oh so you thought it best to ignore the message. I get it. Those words you said were a bunch of shit then. Let me go," she told him harshly, pushing at his chest the best she could with her broken wrist.

"None of what I told you is shit," he seethed out. "The last message I got from you is from last night when you said the painkillers were making you drowsy so you were calling it a night," he told her, flashing the message thread for her to read. "Now what the hell has your panties in a damn twist?"

"You didn't get the message about Wednesday?" She asked shyly, feeling all sorts of embarrassed. He shook his head, not sure what Wednesday had to do with her being pissed at him. Pulling out her phone she opened it to the thread for him and showed him.

"My roommate, you remember Sebastian, right?" He nodded answering her question. "He invited you over after I told him I did it to his girlfriend, in a way to get back at me, except I didn't invite his girl over. And now the whole thing has turned into a night. You don't have to come," she quickly explained.

He laughed, making her mad. She went to duck under his arm when he caught her around the waist, pulling her back. Without thinking he brushed his lips against hers. She froze feeling his soft lips against hers.

"I'll be there, Onyx," he told her. "Let me know what time, and if I need to bring anything," he informed her, slipping back into the elevator.

With her fingers pressed against her lips, she walked to her brother's apartment in a daze, not sure what to take of the small hint of a kiss from Clint.

"You can come in ya know," Jeff laughed, looking in the direction of the elevator to see what had his sister so mesmerized. He shrugged not seeing anyone or anything. "Earth to Onyx," he said, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"What?" She snapped, pushing her way past him. "Your friend sucks," she muttered grabbing a can of pop from the fridge. "Seriously couldn't you get better ones?" She asked, sitting in the chair, propping her feet on the end of the coffee table, ignoring the look of annoyance from him.

"You are friends with over half of my friends; I need a bit more than that," he laughed, sitting on the couch, tossing an arm over the back of his couch. She gave him a look of really, making him laugh harder. "But I will go out on a very thin limb here and ask you what Sebastian did. But do keep in mind that he is more your friend these days than mine. How did that happen?" He asked. He couldn't remember when Sebastian, and his sister grew so close.

"When you weren't really getting along with him. Back when you were all about fun, and he liked to be serious," she shrugged. "He invited Clint over to have a double date with Mikki, except I was joking with him," she shortened for him. "Now you and your buddies will be at my place Wednesday night and there will be hell to pay if you're not there," she warned, taking a drink from her pop.

"I have to work; some of us work nights," he pointed out.

"That's bull and you know it. You close early on Sunday night, and you remain closed on Wednesday because it's a slump," she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"And what are you going to do, if I don't show?" He questioned with a laugh. He should have never challenged her with his work schedule. She spent time working there, and she knew the schedule of all the employees better than he did, something he has yet to figure out how she does.

"You want me to put in a good word with Sugar. You don't show up; I will make sure she stays far away from you, and that she finds someone else to be with. And I will make sure Sugar is there. And when you tell your buddies, make sure they know to bring their significant others," she told him, getting up, finishing her drink, tossing the can into the recyclable can bin.

"I'll be there. I'm guessing normal time?" He asked.

"You will be notified," she informed him, walking to the door. "I left Seb before figuring out the details. He wanted me to come over here and talk to you. And now you know my plan for Sugar," she shrugged.

"It's called blackmail," he laughed. "Have you thought about talking to Hunter?"

"You sound just like Seb," she sighed, yanking the door open. "I'm not ready to deal with that drama head on. You can tell him as much when you speak to him next." Costing her brother an old friendship, was never in the cards for her. She wanted her brother to remain friends with him. Their breakup/his cheating on her had nothing to do with her brother so it should not jeopardize their friendship.

"Will do," he nodded, walking to the door holding it open for her. "I can give him the cold shoulder for a while to make you feel better," he offered.

"I appreciate it; I do, but I don't want you to do that. He is your friend; I knew that going into the relationship. You can be as mad at him as you feel is necessary, but I don't want you to throw the friendship out the window because he cheated on me. The relationship I have with him should not affect your friendship with Hunter," she explained to him. It would take some time, but one day she wanted to be friends with him. Right now, she found it hard to look past the hurt, he caused her. Heck she was finding it hard to even face him after what she walked in on.

"Got it," he replied. "Let me know you made it home, okay?" She nodded, turning to leave. "How is the arm?" He called after her, getting her to stop and turn to look at him.

"Hurts every so often. Itches like mad," she shrugged. "So it's good," she told him. "Can I go now or do you have a ton more questions to ask me out in the hall?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can go," he laughed, waiting until she disappeared around the corner.

The walk from her brothers place to her own, took a few minutes, not enough time to begin processing the soft gentle kiss she received from Clint. That is the first time she has ever received such a gentle kiss from anyone other than her parents. Her friends and brother didn't find it necessary to plaster her with kisses, if that ever happened, she would be sure to punch them in the gut. And past boyfriends and even the one or two girlfriends she has had, never gave her such a sweet kiss, it's a kiss she never gave out. And after today it was easily her favorite kiss to date. It did leave a lasting impression.

"What are you doing?" She asked, stopping in the doorway, not letting the door shut behind her seeing the living room looking as if it threw up everything it held.

"I couldn't take the glare from the kitchen light sitting right in the middle of the TV. Thought I would put the TV elsewhere but the stupid sun didn't help, and now I am trying to find the perfect spot for the TV where the sunlight and artificial light won't be casted on the screen making it hard to watch," he got out.

"Could have told me you were just rearranging the living room. It would've taken less time," she told him, stepping into the apartment, locking the door behind her. "I am going to assume you have this under control. Let me know when it's safe to come out of my room," she told him, heading in the direction of her room.

"Hold up!" He said loudly, getting her to stop short of the hallway. Looking over her shoulder at him. "You could offer to help me," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. She raised her arm up, showing him the green cast he picked out as her answer on not asking to help him. "Fair enough," he shrugged. "How did things go with your brother?"

"Uh good. Just have to let him know what time. As the rest of them," she informed him. "May I go now so you can get back to the disaster you have our living room?"

"Yeah go," he sighed, turning back to the mess he made. "Think Blaine would mind coming over and giving a hand?" He asked, Onyx laughing as she walked away.

"Call him and ask him. He is your friend after all," she called out to him, shutting her bedroom door and turning some music on, laying on her bed, tossing an arm over her eyes, trying to drown out the very alive city below her.

* * *

A few hours later, she walked out of her room, stumbling into the living room, stopping short she let a laugh out, seeing everything back in its normal place.

"Silly me, thought you were rearranging the living room," she commented, getting a glass of water. "Hey Blaine," she called, downing half the cup while taking her pain medication.

"Hey Onyx," he laughed.

"That was the plan," Seb said, nodding his head. "Though the best place for the TV is right where it is at. I can't help that," he stated.

"You are such a dork," she laughed, sitting on the couch with Sebastian. "You coming to our party?" She asked, looking at Blaine.

"Can't, I have plans that night. Sorry," he told her.

"It would be the perfect chance for us to meet your girlfriend," she smirked.

"Dude, she's right about that. We've been dying to meet her. You can't miss Jeff making a fool of himself; you'll get to meet Mikki, and the guy whom this one," Seb said, lightly kicking her leg closest to him. "Has been getting chummy with?"

"Who even uses the word chummy anymore?" She asked laughing. "Despite his chose of words, he is right," she shrugged, dreading them meeting Clint officially together; it was going to be torture for her. "And I am not getting anything with him. We are friends and nothing more," she stated, firmly.

"That so?" Blaine questioned with a laugh of his own. "I'll run it past her, but you should know that we haven't discussed where in our relationship, we are," he told them.

"You should get on that. You don't want her to think that all you want her for is sex and not someone you might be able to settle down with," she told him.

"Onyx is right about very little," Seb joked, earning a pillow to the face. "Though she is right about this. If you want more with her, you need to talk to her and define what you guys are," Seb finished.

"I think I'll go do that now," he said, pushing himself up from the chair he occupied. "I'll be letting you know about the party," he told them, seeing himself out.

"I've got to get ready for a date with Mikki. You will be okay by yourself right?" He asked, looking at her.

"I'm not five Sebastian," she retorted rolling her eyes. With Seb gone it would give her the perfect chance to talk to Sugar not only about Jeff, but discuss the rest of the guy drama going on in her life. "It'll be nice to have a girl's night for a few hours," she told him, reaching for her phone to get things in motion.

"Makeovers, that's my cue," he stated, leaving her to plan her night with a few friends.

With her plans made she started to get things put together, ordered a pizza, found a silly romcom to watch when they were all settled in. Snacks spread around the coffee table, in bowls and the bags, they came in. The wine placed on the coffee table with a few glasses next to it.

"You do know that with your pain meds you can't be drinking alcohol in any form, right?" Seb questioned, walking out from his room, working the button on his shirt sleeve.

"Look at you," she whistled. "I do know. Water or orange juice. We don't have apple juice," she sighed.

Seb chuckled walking over to the fridge pulling out her favorite flavored water. A sweet and tart pomegranate one. "I had Blaine pick some up for you on his way over. Don't worry I paid him back when he got here," he told her.

"You are such a lifesaver," she told him over dramatically. "You best go before you're running late," she said, pushing him with her good hand. "Oh and be a dear and let me know if you'll be back tonight," she told him.

"Yes mother," he chuckled, walking from the apartment, checking his pockets as he walked.

With Sebastian gone for his date, she double checked that she had everything. She frowned hearing the knock on the door while she straightened the pillows on the couch. Wondering what neighbor needed what. She didn't mind her neighbors; they didn't bother her, the only problem she ever seems to have with them is when they come knocking when she doesn't have the time to deal with what they need.

"Seb let me in when he was leaving," Sugar explained, hugging her friend before entering the apartment. Onyx nodded, that making sense.

"Make yourself at home, the pizza will be here shortly," she told her friend. "Any word from Marley?"

"She's running a few minutes late," Sugar told her, pouring herself a glass of wine, munching on a chip.

"Good, gives me a chance to talk to you about my dumb brother," she said, getting a bottle of water, getting a funny look from her friend, not sure if it had to do with what she said or the fact she had water and not wine. "Pain meds," she said, curling up in the chair. Sugar nodded, getting more comfortable.

"What is this business with your brother?" Sugar questioned, pulling her feet underneath her, her shoes sitting by the door.

"Can you do me a huge favor in being his fake girlfriend?" Earning more of a curious look, she went on to explain what Jeff said, to help her out, which she would get the full story on once Marley showed up. "I'll owe you big time. You only have to do it once," Onyx pleaded with her friend.

"Do you think that he has real feelings for me?" Sugar questioned, chewing on her lip.

"Wait! You like my brother?" She asked, not wanting to make a funny face and make Sugar think she had a problem against her dating her brother. She didn't; she found it weird because Jeff is her brother, and she can never see him the way the rest do. To her, he will forever be a big dork of a brother who is by far to overprotective.

"I don't if you have a problem against it."

"Sugar, sweetie, I don't have a problem, as long as you remain my friend with whatever happens to transpire between you two," she quickly told her friend.

"Never would I change our friendship over things happening with Jeff," Sugar responded, feeling hurt that her best friend would suggest such a thing.

"It's nothing personal; it's happened before is all. And from what intel I can gather; he does like you," she eased her friend. "I don't think he would have said your name, if he didn't."

"Hold it!" Sugar exclaimed. "Jeff personally used my name. Told your mothers that he was in a relationship with me?"

"He did. And when we got to talking, I could see real emotion there, like he wasn't faking his feelings for you. I am not saying this to make you agree. If I find out he's using you, I will personally beat him up, but I don't think that is the case," she ranted.

"I don't think Jeff is like that," Sugar dreamily smiled. "I will do it," she informed her.

"Good, you can start acting all couply on Wednesday. If you can fool his friends you will ace the dinner," Onyx stated with a smirk.

"I can do that," Sugar nodded, agreeing to it all. "That should be Marley," she said, hearing the knock on the door.

Marley lived in the apartment complex, on the opposite side of the building and on the first floor. Marley is part of the reason on why she lives there with Sebastian. She started out living with Marley until her boyfriend moved in, who is now her husband, married a year ago. Onyx couldn't handle living there in the cramped space, so she moved up to Seb's place until she could find her own place, there was no way she would be staying with or even living with her brother, that would be awkward with their active sexual lives. Once living with Seb, they clicked, and she has yet to move out. She moved in nearly three years ago now.

"Met and paid for the pizza," Marley announced once she was let into the apartment. "Now what is this I hear about Hunter cheating?"

"You didn't tell me Hunter cheated on you!" Sugar screeched.

With a sigh, Onyx retook her spot in the chair, gesturing for Marley to make herself at home and told the story of what happened between her and Hunter, not leaving out the bit about Clint and the barely there kiss he gave her a few hours earlier. She really needed her friend's opinion on what that kiss meant.


	4. Chapter 4

_**The lovely Miss Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita, who is being really awesome to let me use her. Mikki can't be used without KikiJuanita's permission and you need my permission to use Onyx. The others belong to Glee.  
And I know that Clint is going to be a little bit on the OOC side in this chapter, but changing for the better is always a good thing and I really like the guy I have turned Clint into. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"Did you start without me? Really?" Onyx asked entering her apartment to see everyone there, surprised in a way to see Sugar sitting on Jeff's lap. That was the one thing she had been looking forward to, seeing how Jeff would react to Sugar acting like his girlfriend, and she missed it.

"It is not our fault that you are late to the party at your own home," Sam laughed. "We're still waiting on Blaine and his girlfriend," he offered with a shrug, turning back to the video game he was playing with Sebastian.

"Doesn't make me feel much better actually. Blaine is always late," she said under her breath. "Where is your husband?" She asked, hugging Marley.

"He had a last minute meeting," Marley stated, giving her friend a hug back. "He will be here once he finishes that," she assured her friend.

"I find that weird," she commented. "Is that weird?" She asked. Marley shook her head, not telling her what her husband was up to. Not that it was much of her business to begin with. "Okay, then," she muttered, heading to her room, to change into something more comfortable. Her skinny jeans were starting to get on her nerves.

"Well hello to me," Clint smirked, watching Onyx enter her bedroom, pulling her shirt over head, showing off her stomach and her purple bra.

"What are you doing in my room?" She asked, tossing her shirt into the basket with the rest of her dirty clothes, stripping her jeans off next to leave her standing in front of him in her purple bra and white satin underwear. She turned feeling her cheeks heating up under his gaze.

"Most chicks freak out if they were in this predicament. Why aren't you?" He asked, his eyes trained on her butt.

"Because when I wear a bikini you see more than what I am showing now," she shrugged. She can wear a bikini in front of strangers at a pool or at the beach it wasn't much different to wearing her undergarments in front of her friends, there wasn't much of a difference, not when her undergarments hide more than any of her bikinis did.

It took her a few minutes to pull out a tank top and shorts, pulling her hair into a bun atop her head joining Clint on her bed, looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell her why he is in her room for and not out there with the rest of the party. She got that he didn't know them, but this is his chance to get to know them. He would need to be friends with them if wanted to remain her friend. He looked back at her, his lips twisted in a smirk. She repeated her question.

"Phone call," he told her, picking his phone up from off her bed to show her. "Heard you enter, thought I would stay here for the show," he smirked.

"Such a perv," she laughed, getting up.

"Only for you," he chuckled, following suit, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.

"That's not as flattering as you think it is," she laughed, entering the main part of the apartment seeing they were still focused on the game. "Hey Seb," she called, standing in the kitchen, motioning him over when he looked away from the TV where Jeff and Matt were starting a new game.

"What's up, Onyx?" He asked, looking between his best friend and the guy he knew close to nothing about. What he heard from Onyx didn't count much at knowing him. Dreamy wasn't a word he would use to describe him. What did dreamy even mean? Shaking those thoughts from his head, he gave his best friend his now undivided attention.

"Where is Mikki?" She asked, looking past him to see faces she knew and not one that belonged to his unknown girlfriend.

"She'll be here in another hour. Something about her friend needing her, family crisis or something," he shrugged. "Don't worry you will meet her before the night is over with," he chuckled, grabbing another bag of chips walking back to the living room.

"Ugh," she sighed, seeing they had ordered pizza before she got home and not enough was left over. "You hungry?" She questioned, moving back through the place to her room, dragging Clint with her.

"Not in the mood for pizza?" He laughed, leaning against the door jamb. She shook her head, pulling a hoodie from her closet, pulling it over her head.

"No, I'm craving a burger with fries," she told him, slipping a pair of shoes on.

"You are the only reason I showed up, so you've got my company," he winked, letting her walk past him. She sent him a smile, grabbing her keys from where they lie by the door.  
"Where are you going?" Jeff asked, pausing the game.

"I need food and not the bit of pizza you pigs have yet to eat. Since none of you even thought about ordering my favorite pizza," she retorted pulling the door open.

"That's because pineapple does not belong on pizza," Nick retorted, from the hallway.

"You, shut up," she warned pointing a finger at him. Nick rolled his eyes at her and gave her a side hug, moving past her to enter the apartment. "I'll be back in an hour or so, don't flip out if I'm not home before that," she teased, letting Clint go out the door before her.

"You get arrested you know who to call," Jeff called back.

"Yeah, Seb, because you refuse to answer the phone when I call from jail," she retorted, shutting the door behind her.

"Did you really go to jail?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his front pockets of his jeans.

"Does a holding cell count?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, walking up to the elevator, pushing the down button.

"What did you do?" He questioned with a chuckle, leaning his shoulder on the wall.

"Got drunk, thought it would be fun to have a water balloon fight in a park after hours. Thankfully I knew one of the cops working and he let me make a second call after Jeff didn't answer," she explained, stepping into the elevator.

"How much trouble have you been in if you personally know a cop?" He asked, shaking his head in wonder, knowing full well he would have joined in on the action sober.

"Not as much as you would think," she told him. "We had mentors when I was a senior at McKinley and the cop had been in Glee with his now wife. He moved about five years ago now to be with her in New York," she explained, walking off the elevator and to the doors.

"Does he happen to be Noah Puckerman?" He questioned, stepping around Onyx to pull the door open for her.

"How do you know him?" She asked, stepping through the door pulling the second door open.

"It's a small world after all," he sang, sending her a wink. She rolled her eyes, gently pushing him with her shoulder. "He's family to me is all," he told her.

"Are you ever going to tell me about your family?" She asked. "Not only have you met my brother and the idiots that are like a second family to me but you've meet my mom and Lydia. The only two you haven't meet is my dad and his third wife and her son," she told him.

"Third wife?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "And I will tell you all about them later, I promise. It's something we have a bit in common with them not being a traditional family. It's not something I am really comfortable in talking about," he told her. He didn't like telling people that he was adopted when he was little, because he lost both his parents within a week when he was no older than 7.

"Marriage isn't his strong suit it seems," she shrugged. Watching her dad go from marriage to marriage it gave her fear that any man could toss her aside the way her dad does the woman he loves enough to marry. "I won't push you into telling me about your family. With as messed up as mine seems it wouldn't have been an easy conversation if you hadn't meet them," she told him. People were great at judging her and teasing her for her family life. She tried not to let it bug her but sometimes she couldn't help it.

"I know this amazing burger joint," he told her, leading her the way to his favorite place to get a burger from, effectively changing the topic.

"I don't know if I can trade on my main burger place. It took me over a year to find it, I can't just trade on them now," she teased.

"We shall see about that, Princess," he winked, pushing the button to cross the road.

"Don't go getting all cocky on me now," she teased, tensing up seeing who was walking up to them. She quickly laced her fingers with his. Clint shooting her a curious look, tightening his hold on her hand, seeing the slight panic on her face.

"A bit of warning with this one, you can't make her happy. She won't ever want to leave the home she built with Sebastian, makes me believe more is going on there, then you let on Onyx," he laughed. "Did you even love me? To be with someone so soon after we broke up and all."

"You're one to talk, Hunter. You don't even know what love is, considering you were fucking your little bitch there while we were together," she hissed out. "And I will gladly move on with my life with the right person. Turns out I was right not to trust you on that front," she sneered back.

"Enjoy your walk, Onyx. We will meet you back at your place. Jeff did invite me," he laughed walking away with his new girlfriend on his arm.

"I can't believe Jeff would do that," she sighed, leaning into Clint's embrace. Keeping a solid lock on her hand, he slipped his arm around her to hold her and her hand as they crossed the street.

"After we get a bite to eat we don't have to go back to the party if you don't want to," he told her, leading her to his burger joint. "My place is empty," he suggested. "We could watch a movie and pig out on popcorn and beer."

"That does sound better than going back to deal with a cheating ex and his whore of a girlfriend," she smiled at him. "I don't want to be any trouble, though," she sheepishly said.

"Onyx, you'll never be trouble to me," he promised, pulling her closer. She smiled up at him quickly not wanting to run into anyone or anything. "Promise."

"You say that know, but like everyone else, it'll only be a matter of time," she muttered out, getting the best of herself.

"I can name a whole apartment of people that can tell you the same thing. You aren't trouble or a problem for me or for them. They are still in your life and not because they have to be. They love you, Onyx. And for the people in your life that can't see how amazing and strong you are, that's on them and you are a better person who doesn't need them in your life. They are the fools," he told her, making his point, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to make her look at him, people passing them by annoyed at them.

"They're stuck with me because of Jeff," she told him lamely.

"That's not true and you know it," he replied, taking both of her hands into his. "Didn't you become friends with Sebastian before he was friends with Jeff?" She nodded answering his question. "I'm positive he would turn his back on Jeff for you. The rest of those guys they love you for who you are and not because they feel obligated to do so. I like you for who you are. Jagged edges and all."

"Seb would do that," she smiled. "There is a lot of jagged edges. It's not easy to get past them, Clint," she warned him, stepping closer to him.

"Easy it's not my thing, Onyx. Everyone has scars from their past. I'll be here helping you get through yours. I'm not going anywhere," he smiled, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Why?" She whispered, looking into his blue eyes. "No one other than Jeff and Seb have been with me through it all. Why are you staying when you could be with anyone else? With someone that isn't quite as broken as me?" She asked, her voice growing stronger.

"I don't want anyone else, Onyx. I want you. The woman who tosses drinks on loser exes, the strong independent woman who shines brighter than any star out there. The amazing woman who seeks help when she needs it most. We're all afraid of getting hurt, but the beauty of being broken means you can be whole with the right person."

"You want to be the person who makes me whole?" She questioned, a bit shocked to learn that piece of information.

"If you'll let me, Onyx. If not, I'm cool with that too," he told her. She smiled, lacing her hand through his.

She didn't know what she wanted. Her heart still hurt over the betrayal of Hunter and she isn't ready to jump into anything serious right now. With Clint things seemed to be easy and she liked easy. She couldn't jump into a relationship with him, that wouldn't be healthy for her heart. Maybe just maybe they could take things slow.

Deciding to take their food to go, they headed back to Clint's place. No worries about running into Jeff since he is at her place being part of the party she had a hand in creating. Skipping out on the party did make her feel a bit guilty until she remembered what Jeff pulled and that pisses her off greatly.

Between her second beer and fifth shot of vodka, she felt giddy and ready to start her own party.

* * *

Waking up with a groan is never a good start to a day. Sitting up keeping her eyes shut for a moment longer, her pounding head driving her mad already. With a sigh she looked around Clint's apartment remembering the events of the night before, rolling her own eyes at her stupidity. Another groan slipping through her dry lips recalling the events that led up to her throwing herself at him. Tossing the blanket off herself, she quietly used the bathroom, gathered her things up and taped a note to his door, before slipping through it.  
She leaned against the wall, knocking on her brother's door, her eyes having a problem of staying open.

"Aren't you just a morning ray of sunshine," Sugar laughed opening the door for Onyx.

"Shut it Sugar, and what are you doing at my brother's place? Never mind I don't need to know," she said on second thought seeing one of her brothers old shirts on her. "Where is my brother?" She asked, not seeing him in sight, able to see his bedroom is empty from where she stood.

"Bathroom getting ready for a brunch date," Sugar told her, pointing to the half open door.

"How can one be so chipper this early?" She muttered walking the short distance to the bathroom.

"You look like shit," Jeff laughed, seeing her in the mirror. She flipped him off, walking further into the small bathroom, sitting on the toilet with the lid down. "I am happy you're alive and all but I am pissed that you just took off like that, not giving anyone a heads up. And shit take your phone next time," he sternly told her, not raising his voice to torture her anymore than he already is, holding the razor in hand to get a good look at her.

"Be pissed at me Jeff because I am pissed at you," she shot at him. He gave her a what in the hell are you talking about look. "Do you really think I would show back up to my place when you thought it would be okay to invite my ex? I have no problem with you and him being buddies and whatnot, but for fucksakes don't invite him to my place to hang out," the venom in her voice softening up the more she spoke.

"What are you talking about? I didn't invite Hunter for that exact reason, Onyx. I would never do that to you," he told her being honest. Hunter would never come before his sister.

"Then how did he know about the party? And you're telling me he didn't show up?" She questioned, her head hurting from more than just the amount of alcohol she drank the night prior. Jeff shook his head, filling his empty coffee mug with water, handing that and a bottle of aspirin to her. She smiled in thanks dumping two in her hand.

"He must have overheard when I was telling the guys about it and no he didn't show up and if he did he would have been tossed out on his ass. That is your home and he isn't welcome there," he assured her, going back to shaving. "Does Seb know you're okay as one can be while dealing with a hangover?" He asked.

"No," she sighed, placing the mug on the bathroom counter. "Phones at home, remember?" She asked him, making him chuckle. "It would have been like him to show up there like that. I hate that he is able to do things like that."

"You really need to talk to him about things. Explain to him that he hurt you, tell him why after a year of dating you weren't ready to move in with him. Make amends the best you can. Get closure from him so you can move on fully and nothing will be standing in your way, Onyx," he told her, giving her some brotherly advice.

"I'll think about it," she told him, standing up. "If you don't hear from me Seb killed me," she joked. "Have fun at brunch," she laughed lightly, moving past him. Jeff laughed and went back to getting ready for the day ahead with Sugar.

"Muffin for the walk home?" Sugar asked, pointing to the muffins on the counter. "There is blueberry, chocolate chip and cinnamon apple," Sugar stated pointing to each one.

"When did you find time to bake muffins?" Onyx questioned, taking one of each. One for the walk home, one for Seb and one to enjoy later, except Sugar had other ideas, shoving a container in her hands.

"Take as many as you want," Sugar smiled at her.

"Will do and Sugar, you get up by far too damn early," she said, shaking her head. "Call me when you're done with my brother and we can figure out a time to hang out this week," she stated. Sugar nodded, heading to Jeff's room to get ready herself, a stop at her place would be needed before going to brunch.

Walking home was more painful than she would have liked, too many car horns going off and an alarm system on a car a street over. She should have went back to Clint's and fell asleep on the couch again letting her hangover pass that way.

Walking through her front door she frowned seeing the brunette sitting on the couch, wrapped up in one of Seb's hoodies from college, cradling a cup of coffee in one hand, lost to what she had going on on her phone. She turned her attention to the kitchen where her best friend paced from one end to the other, not noticing her presence as of yet.

"Anxious Sebby?" She questioned, sitting the container of muffins on the table, getting her best friend to turn sharply on his heel, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

"I thought something happened to you. I called every hospital multiple times since last night. Called the police station to see if you ended up in jail. You were nowhere, Onyx. Do you know how scared I was that I might have lost my best friend?" He prompted, pulling away from the hug, his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place.

"Saying sorry won't fix it, but I am truly sorry, Seb. I didn't mean to make you freak out," she sighed. "I had plans of coming back last night, but I had a run-in with Hunter and I thought Jeff invited him last night and I didn't want to deal with him here, so I went back to Clint's and my phone was here and I was so pissed that Jeff would do something to that degree that calling to let you know slipped my mind," she rushed out in an explanation.

"I get it I do," he calmly told her. "But for the record, I wouldn't have let Hunter into our home. Are you forgetting that I have never been friends with him? I only tolerated him for you. He knows better than to show up here. You never have to run away from your home, Onyx," he assured her, feeling bad that she would think something like that.

"I know," she smiled weakly. "We good?" She questioned. "I did bring muffins. Blueberry, choco chip and apple cinnamon. Sugar made them and wouldn't let me leave with the three I wanted."

"We're good, just don't do it again," he warned.

"I'll do my best," she smiled. Glancing to the living room. "I'm going to freshen up and you can introduce me to your little friend there," she motioned with her head.

"If you returned last night, I wouldn't have to do so now," he jabbed back. She rolled her eyes, walking to her room with a muffin.

Coming out in clean clothes that consisted of a light blue cotton shorts and a white tee shirt she sat in the chair, facing her friend and the relative stranger she knew from stories Seb told her and the one minute conversation they had. She pulled her hair into a messy bun atop her head, she would take a shower once she got a few more hours of sleep, her bed waiting for this little meeting to be over with.

"I finally meet the mysterious Onyx," Mikki stated, realizing Seb was making no move to introduce them, enjoying the awkwardness that filled the room.

"I get to meet the enchanting Mikki," Onyx smiled, curling her feet up underneath her in the chair. "You really don't have a problem with Seb being best friends with me? Most people find it weird," she stressed. She had to know for herself if Mikki really is okay with them being friends.

"I would be a hypocrite if I wasn't okay with this. Seb has told me how you guys have been nothing more than friends since the day you started being friends. I am not going to come in and ruin the friendship it took you two years to create or miss out by giving him an ultimatum, he will pick you every time. I am more than okay with this," she explained, lacing her fingers with Sebastian's.

"Your best friend is a guy?" She questioned, seeing she had a little in common with her best friend's girl, then she previously thought.

"He is a guy," she smiled. "Been friends with him since we were 6 and he moved next door to me with his mom," she easily explained.

"So you know what it's like to have a boyfriend jealous and really insecure about things because they think you're out hooking up with your best friend behind their back?" She questioned, shaking her head.

"All the time. Though it is nice with Seb and him not thinking that because he does get it," she smiled sweetly at Seb.

"If everyone could find a guy like Seb," she smiled. "The annoying git he can be," she teased.

"Annoying?" Seb laughed. "You sure you're not talking about yourself?" He joked back.

"I brought you muffins and I do hope that you offered them to Mikki, can't have her dumping you because you lack manners," Onyx grinned, sticking her tongue out. "My head is still killing me so I will leave you two alone and Mikki it was lovely to meet you maybe we can do lunch this week and really get to know each other without this bonehead being around," she suggest, with a sweet smile for Seb.

"I would like that," Mikki agreed. "We'll sort it out later." Onyx nodded getting to her feet. "And it was fantastic to meet you as well, Onyx," Mikki told her. "Wouldn't believe the stories Seb tells of you," she grinned.

"They all have perfectly good reasons behind them all, I assure you," she grimaced, hating to know what stories in her past Seb told her about. "Much like the stories he says about you. We'll compare notes later and I will gladly give you every detail that he refuses to tell you about himself. I do know everything," she smirked, sending a wink, walking to her room to have a look at her phone as she avoided doing so when she first got home. Seeing there is nothing new from after she got home and from the person she was looking forward to the most on having a message from, she sighed, pulling the blanket over her head, to fall asleep.

"Where'd Seb go?" She asked with a yawn, feeling so much better after getting a few more hours of sleep, her head not hurting nearly as much. She did find it weird that her best friends girlfriend sat alone in the apartment. Sighed to herself seeing the little bit of cold coffee left over. She quickly got busy making herself a new pot of coffee, opting out of using the keurig they had in the corner. She needed more than one cup of coffee.

"Helping a neighbor out," Mikki shrugged moving to stand at the kitchen counter separating the kitchen and living room. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Mikki asked, seeming to be a bit nervous in whatever it is she had to say.

"Yeah, sure," Onyx said, placing her coffee mug on the counter by the now brewing coffee, stepping closer to where Mikki stood.

"You really had him worried last night, he didn't sleep at all because you were out all night being reckless. I don't doubt your friendship with him, but I do question whether or not you're a good influence on him. I don't like watching him worried for hours on end because he can't get a hold of you or figure out where you went to."

"You can stop there, Mikki. I get that you care for him, but he is a brother to me, my best friend and sure I can be a bad influence on him and vice versa. I look out for him and he looks out for me. If you can't get along with me, you won't be with him any longer. And I really want to like you, Mikki. Last night was a one off. My head was all over the place after having a run in with my ex who I just broke it off with not even a week ago, who I found in his office on our one year anniversary banging his current fling on his desk. So am I a bad friend for Seb? No, I am not. Did I have a bad night? Yes. Will I stop being Seb's friend, not in a million years," Onyx told her with a straight face. "I am pleased to know that you are this concerned with Seb's happiness, makes me happy that he has you, Mikki," she smiled, turning back to her coffee.

"Thanks," Mikki said slightly confused. "Just remember that people care about you. And it sucks you went through that with your ex, just don't treat those that love you like crap because of it," Mikki stated, walking to Seb's room.

The second she poured her coffee adding in enough sugar and creamer to her taste, Seb walked through the door, frowning when he didn't see his girlfriend.

"Relax I didn't run her off. And you best not either, I really like her. She cares about you, that is all I need to know," she smiled taking her coffee into her room.

"What did you do to get Onyx to like you in ways she has never liked the girls I dated?" Seb asked with a laugh standing in the doorway of his room.

"We had a conversation that is all you need to know," she smiled, motioning for him to join her on the bed.

"It's a relief to know that I won't have to worry about blood shed," he laughed.

"Nope none of that. There might be times we don't see eye to eye though, but I think before too long we will be friends and I will be getting all this info about you," she teased.

"I don't doubt it," Seb laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

Onyx breathed a sigh of relief seeing that she along with Clint were the first ones to arrive at The River's Edge cafe and Patio Bar. They decided to find a table to sit six outside overlooking the San Antonio river.

"How did you rope Clint into coming along?" Jeff asked with a laugh, walking up from behind them.

"Mom and Lydia got their claws into him," Onyx shrugged. "Where's your girlfriend?" She asked, not seeing Sugar anywhere.

"She needed to use the ladies room," Jeff told her. "Does he know that things might get uncomfortable over this lunch?" He asked, looking right at his sister.

"He does now," she responded. "And yes, I spent the better part of my morning going over everything with him, and the very good possibility that my ex will get brought up and who knows what else," she sighed.

"As long as he knows what he is getting himself into," Jeff shrugged.

"You both do realize that _he,_ you are referring to _is_ sitting right here. And _he_ can talk for _himself_ ," Clint spoke up. "And for the record, I can handle whatever your moms throw my way. I'm here for Onyx," he clarified, giving her a smile.

"Can you really? I didn't know," Onyx teased, looking at him. "We should be more worried about what they are going to be saying to Sugar. It's been years since they have met a girlfriend of yours," she smirked at her brother.

"Like you don't know the comments of sweetie when are you going to call this one your boyfriend? Are coming your way," he commented, pointing to Clint, his eyes staying on his sister. "Because we both know those comments or more like suggestions will be coming," he stated.

"I know," she sighed, looking to Clint. "And I am ready to answer mom on those questions. I did come prepared," she stated, feeling confident in the answers she has ready for when the conversation goes that way.

"What did I miss?" Sugar asked, hugging her friend before taking a seat next to her boyfriend. She could feel the tension between the three of them. "Hi, I'm Sugar, Jeff's girlfriend and Onyx's best friend," she introduced looking at Clint.

"Hey. I'm Clint," he responded with a nodded.

"Didn't you guys meet the other night at the party?" Onyx questioned, slightly confused.

"I met the guys, and talked with your brother but Sugar wasn't there yet when I retreated to your room for my phone call," he told her.

"True, as I had only been there a few minutes before you came in," Sugar nodded.

"You should be talking to Seb, about things as your buddy here was there before anyone else showed up. I should know since everyone else showed up when I did," Jeff said with a shrug and what looked to be an evil smile.

"What did you and my best friend talk about?" Onyx quizzically asked him. Making a mental note to quiz Seb about what he said to Clint.

"We are so sorry that we are late," Lydia apologized, taking one of the empty seats, cutting off their conversation completely.

"Nonsense, you guys aren't late," Onyx said. "Mom, Lydia, do you remember Clint?" She asked.

"Of course, we remember him, dear," her mom said. "It is lovely to see you again, Clint. And please call me Jade," she told the young man sitting next to her daughter.

"Jade, Lydia it is nice to see you both again," he told them with a smile. "Have you enjoyed your time here?" He questioned, just as the waiter showed up to take their drink order, needing more time to look over the menu.

"We have enjoyed our time. We've been thinking about getting a winter house here as we are growing tired of the snow," Jade informed the whole table. Jeff and Onyx sharing pained looks across the table. "How is the hand sweetie?" She changed gears looking to her daughter.

"Broken and still driving me mad, so I guess it's healing," Onyx shrugged, pleased with the way the conversation is going so far.

"Sweetie, what even made you get into a fight with her?" Lydia asked, concerned as ever.

"She made one too many comments that I didn't like and comments that I am not going to be repeating. She ticked me off. And honestly I've been wanting to punch Bree since I found out about the affair," Onyx shrugged, glancing down at her cast, still the ugly green she was starting to get use to, but not a color she would ever use again.

"How are you doing with that whole mess?" Her mom asked.

"I'm still hurt and I feel betrayed by his actions. I don't get why he cheated," she said, looking at Jeff, saying, "I am not talking to him about it. Not yet. I'm not ready for that." She is still living with that pain; she is nowhere near ready to rehash that bit of betrayal. She would talk to Hunter when she is 100 percent ready to do so. "My thinking is if he wasn't happy with where our relationship is, he should have talked to me, and we could have gone from there and went our ways with no bitter feelings between us," she shrugged, playing with her fingers in her lap. Clint quickly placing his hand on top of hers. "I am trying to move on," she smiled softly, glancing at the man on her right. "One day at a time."

"And you, Clint?" Jade asked, looking at her daughter's newly crowned friend. "What is it you are trying to gain here?" Hearing that her daughter was dating Hunter, a guy she has known since he was nothing more than a boy, she thought no harm could come from it, thinking Hunter to be respectful and not hurt her baby girl the way he had. She hadn't questioned Hunter when it was announced they were dating like she should have done. She wouldn't be making that same mistake again.

"Friendship first and foremost," Clint answered, giving Jade all of his attention, his hand firmly atop Onyx's under the table. "I am not out looking for anything. I don't want to take anything more than what Onyx is ready to give, and if and when she decides she wants more I will be there for her. Honestly, I want to date your daughter, but that is up to her, and if she decides she wants to be nothing more than friends; I will be okay with that," he explained.

"That is easy for you to say now," Jeff muttered.

The table grew quiet when the waiter returned with their drinks and to take their orders. They remained quiet even after the waiter left them alone. The tension building between brother and sister.

"What's your deal, Jeff?" Onyx questioned visibly annoyed with the way her brother was starting to act towards Clint.

"My deal is that you're not the easiest person to deal with, Onyx," he replied, resting his forearms on the table. "Saying something now and following through with it are two very different things. And I don't want to see you rush into anything because I know what Hunter did to you killed you inside, and you're so good at pushing people away. He says that he will take things at your pace, but I can't see that happening because you will push him away instead of embracing your feelings for him. And while you are pushing those feelings away and pushing Clint further from you, he will get tired of the Onyx game that you have mastered over the years, and he will walk away hurting you in the process," he ranted.

"You don't believe that do you?" Jade asked her son. Jeff nodded his head in reply. "How could you say that let alone think it?" She questioned her oldest.

"Because I've seen it done many times. And I don't want her to get hurt. I don't say it to be mean, I say it because it's the truth. And I do hope that she doesn't push you away, Clint, because I really do believe that you can make her happy, and that she makes you happy. And that is all I want for you, Onyx, is to be happy. I want you to have a happy, healthy relationship."

"I get it; I do, Jeff. I have been great at pushing people away when I am hurting, when I get freaked out that the next person can do the same thing. I push them away trying to protect myself, and I know I shouldn't do that, but I can't help it," she sighed. She hated she felt like everyone around her could hurt her and what their ulterior motives were. She didn't like to second guess herself on what friends were true and who could possibly be using her for their own gain. But things with Clint were different. He had been a pillar of strength for her since the break up. He knew when she needed to laugh, when to leave her be. He is something else, and she could truly say that he is a friend whom she didn't need to think what he wanted from her, because she already knew what he wanted.

"Onyx, we won't let you do that," Sugar promised her. Onyx gave her friend a smile. She knew that it was something that Sugar couldn't stop from happening if she started to feel smothered and needed to push people away from her.

"What is it you do Sugar?" Lydia asked, taking the chance to learn more about Jeff's girlfriend, since they were told nothing about her.

"I'm a guidance counselor actually. It's not a job I saw myself having growing up, but one I thoroughly enjoy doing." She loved helping kids. It wasn't until her second year of college that she realized what she truly wanted to do. Onyx her dorm mate for the year playing a hand in it one night when Sugar was frustrated over some assignment. From day one of them being in the same dorm the two of them hit it off from the start. The following two years they shared an apartment together until graduation.

"With the multiple high schools around the city, do you work at the same school?" Clint asked, curious to the answer.

"Unfortunately, no we don't work at the same high school. I do work with Seb. In fact, his classroom is right across the hall from mine," Onyx shared.

"Do the two of you even get any work done?" He teased, gently nudging her.

"You know, Clint, that is a very serious question," Lydia mused. "Do you actually teach the students or just goof off?" She knew first-hand how Sebastian and Onyx could be, and with a bigger audience to egg them on, it could be complete chaos.

"Yes, we do our job, but we do have fun," she shrugged. "Anything to make the school day more fun for the students."

"Making learning fun," Jeff laughed. "Do you think you would've made it to school if you thought school was fun?"

"Shut up," she laughed. "I went to school, unlike one of us," she pointed out, a smirk on her lips, seeing his brothers face fall just a little. The question of how in his eyes. "Sebastian is my best friend; I know plenty," she laughed.

"I'm gonna murder him," he ground out.

"No you won't," Onyx laughed.

"Jeff, how?" Jade asked, looking perplexed by the whole situation.

"Mom, just know that going to school and skipping out after attendance for your classes are two very different things. Or my favorite having your buddies cover for you," she smirked.

"I hate you," he said between clenched teeth.

"Why? It's not like they can ground you, Jeffy," Onyx laughed. "Besides I've done worse," she shrugged.

"Like what?" Lydia asked, wanting to know what they didn't catch onto.

"Senior year when we had a three-day week in the middle of November, myself along with Sebastian took for Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll hall of fame museum. We left Wednesday morning," she shrugged. "Took us a day or two since we got lost," she laughed.

"A time or two?" Her mom questioned, shaking her head. "It's only a two and half-hour drive. How lost were you?"

"Maybe lost wouldn't be the right word, either way we ended up in Philadelphia for the night, stayed until Friday afternoon," she shrugged.

"What in the world would posses you to do such a thing?" Her mom asked.

"Nothing," Onyx frowned. "We talked about it and decided why not."

"I don't remember getting a call about you being absent," Lydia frowned looking to her girlfriend.

"Because, uh Seb called the school office pretending to be dad," she replied. Earning a laugh from her brother. "And I called the school to excuse Seb. It was an even trade. However, you can't be mad at me for that, Jeff had me call in and be you, Mom," she stated.

"I have a bunch of delinquents on my hands," Jade sighed.

"You did, mom," Jeff appeased her. "We've outgrown that stage; I think," he thought out loud. "Onyx, I might need you to call into work for me, and make an excuse up as to why I don't show up tomorrow night," he teased.

"Because that will go over so well," she rolled her eyes at her brother. "You can escape work anytime you want. You have a manager," she pointed out.

"Actually, Nick quit," he calmly stated.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did he quit for?" Onyx asked upset over the news she just received.

"Onyx, you do realize that you don't work there right?" Sugar asked her.

"I know that," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "But they are like a second family to me." Sugar nodded at that, knowing how close her friend is to the guys who work there.

"You can see Nick anytime as he does live in your apartment building," Jeff laughed. "And he quit because he wants to open up his own brewery. Ya know to make his own beer, and serve burgers," Jeff told her. He couldn't fault his friend wanting to go create his own place of work.

"Oh, I can accept that," Onyx stated. "For a second, I thought you were going to say he was going to open his own strip club," she shrugged, hearing the multiple choking noises around her; two deep chuckles mixed in with it.

"Onyx Sage Sterling!" Her mother hissed.

"What?" Onyx asked with a groan at the use of her full name. "It's not like I said he was going into the porn business," she retorted.

"Are you sure about this family?" Sugar asked Clint as mother started to chew her daughter out as Jeff sat back and laughed, until Onyx dragged him into the mix.

"The more I learn; I am positive that I enjoy seeing what happens when they are together. They are the entertainment," he chuckled.

"That they are," she laughed. "Onyx has been one of my good friends for a while now, and I gotta make sure that you aren't setting her up for anymore heartbreak, she has gone through enough," Sugar said, leaning closer to Clint as the family of four were in their own little world over porn and strippers.

"I get that," Clint said. "But I'm not like that, not anymore."

"You aren't going to say something as lame as Onyx reformed you are you?" Sugar asked raising an eyebrow.

"No," he laughed. He did want to be a better man, or at the very least try to be a better man for Onyx.

"Are we missing something?" Onyx questioned turning to her friends.

"Nothing as exciting as strips clubs and horrible, laughable porn movies HBO has," Sugar shrugged.

"I don't even want to know," their mom sighed. "How about we learn more about Sugar and her life," Jade suggested.

"That is an excellent idea, mom," Onyx smirked, looking from her friend to her brother. "Like why were you up so early to make muffins the other day?"

"We stayed up late talking and waiting on a call saying you were in jail or the hospital or something," Jeff answered back. "You forget that you have a handful of people worried about you when up and vanish like that?" He questioned, a worried look in his eyes.

"I do actually," she nodded, ignoring the smug smirk on Clint's face over what Jeff said. "It gets tiring being looked at as this little helpless girl," she commented.

"Told you so," Clint whispered against her ear, a deep chuckle mixed in.

"So Sugar spending the night wasn't a hookup or a ploy to make things look more real?" Onyx questioned, flashing her brother a smirk, ignoring the chill that went down her spine or the feeling of her fluttering stomach over Clint being right there on top of her.

"It was late and I didn't see the sense in her going across the city to her place at like 4 in the morning. I am guessing its the same thing Clint did for you that night, while you were intoxicated beyond belief," he suggested.

"Not really it's more like I passed out complaining about my jackass of an ex, and pigheaded brother of mine," she retorted. "It's not like we are trying to fake anything," she tossed out.

"For the record, I would have let her crash even if she hadn't passed out. Or at the very least make sure she got home safely," Clint said, making his voice heard on the topic.

"It's really sweet that you found someone who is so… well him," Hunter said invading the private conversation. "Jade, Lydia it is so nice to see you again," he smiled at the couple.

"It would be nice to see you under different circumstances," Jade icily quipped out.

"That it would," he smiled sadly. "If only your daughter would talk to me, we could clear up this whole mess. Then maybe we could be happy together again," he hopefully commented, turning his pleading looks at Onyx. "What do you say?"

"I say you'll never change. You cheated on me once that I know of, you will do it again Hunter, and I am not the easily forgiving type. I do, however, agree that we need to talk, but it won't change our status; we will remain broken up. You can go back to Bree or has she grown tired of your game?" She asked with a smirk to hide the mix of hurt, sad and anger that coursed through her at his sudden arrival.

"I don't think I am the only one here that needs to grow up Onyx. Was our whole relationship a game to you?"

"Screw you," she hissed out, pushing her chair back, making her exit.

"Hunter, I think it's time for you to keep walking," Jeff told him sternly.

"It was lovely to see you both again," he smiled charmingly at Jade and Lydia, before continuing on his way.

Sugar had followed after Onyx, after assuring Clint that she had it under control. And mentioned that he couldn't go into the women's restroom. Walking into the restroom, she saw Onyx leaning over a sink, her fingers white from gripping the sides tightly as possible.

"Can you believe him? The freaking nerve," Onyx seethed, her focus on her own reflection in the mirror. "How can you turn around and pull a stunt like that?"

"I honestly don't know," Sugar softly said, coming up behind her friend. She knew that it did not matter what she said. Onyx wouldn't listen to her as she is now in her own little world. She would try to the best of her ability though. She barely knew Hunter, not the real Hunter that Onyx or Jeff knew as she only ever saw the Hunter that cared deeply for Onyx, as that was the only side, he would show off while in public. So to her even seeing him as this douche it didn't really fit him, but it came off more like he is a bit jealous. Realizing what he really lost.

"He is naive to think I would even take him back. I hate cheaters," she sighed, pushing herself away from the sink, turning to look at her friend.

"Let him think what he wants Onyx. He ruined the best thing to ever happen to him. And you get to move on and find a better guy to be with. I can think of one that is out there with your family worried about you. Don't let what your ex said ruin your day," Sugar told her, pulling her for a hug.

"Give me a minute?" Onyx questioned. After her little meltdown, she needed to make sure that her makeup was perfect and not making her look like a raccoon.

"Of course," Sugar smiled.

Getting back to the table their lunch continued on as if they had no interruption from Hunter. Sugar was asked questions about her family. Not to mention any and every small question Jade or Lydia could think of to know more about the woman their son is dating. Onyx adding in little comments to embarrass either her friend or her brother. That most often than not turned into questions being asked about Clint as they wanted to know everything they could about the young man taken with their daughter.

"I need a drink," Onyx mumbled walking down the street with Clint. Sugar and Jeff going off to do something or another after their mom and Lydia left for their hotel to get things packed for their flight home in the morning.

"I still have some left over, if you promise not to leave abruptly," he teased, nudging her gently.

"I won't apologize or explain myself. I did both in the sticky note I left posted to your door," she told him.

"I know, Onyx. I saw it," he said, dropping the teasing tone to his voice. "I understood why you left." Sure, he had been disappointed when he got up and saw she was gone. A pit of dread filled his stomach not seeing a note or anything of the like on his phone from her. It wasn't until he was heading out to check his mail that he saw the note stuck to his door, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"You going somewhere?" She asked, seeing his bags next to the door. They took a taxi back to Clint's place. The car ride done so in silence.

"New York. My sister's in a new show on Broadway. I haven't missed an opening night yet, mostly because she won't let me," he shrugged with a small chuckle over his older sister's dramatics.

"If you need to be up early, I can head home," she told him, not moving from the door.

"Dramatic much?" He laughed. "I don't leave until tomorrow afternoon. Not that I would refuse a few hours of hanging out and watching a movie or ten," he assured her.

"If you're sure," she shrugged, walking to the fridge to grab a beer. Twisting the top off, she went to the couch making herself comfortable.

"Do you make yourself at home, everywhere you go?" He curiously asked, grabbing a few snacks from his counter top. He laughed shaking his head being forced to step over her legs to sit on his couch. He propped his feet up on the coffee table next to hers, flipping the TV on, to find a movie to watch.

"Pretty much," she shrugged, stealing the remote, going into his dvr to see what he has recorded. She let a small chuckle out, settling in to watch the movie **Let's Be Cops**.

Waking up come morning, the sun sitting low in the morning sky, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, recalling what led her to wake up in a bed that pulled her into the sheer comfort the soft mattress held. For a brief moment, she pulled the soft blanket over her head breathing in the mix of laundry detergent and the smell of Clint without his musky smelling cologne. She bolted upright coming to that realization. How did she get into his bed? She fell asleep on the couch. The last thing she could remember watching was **Daddy's Home** , or maybe it was in the middle of **Dirty Grandpa**. She couldn't recall which movie as she remembered bits and pieces of the movies from last night. She did know that she never walked to Clint's bed on her own accord. And by the looks of it she is the only one that slept in it. Which meant she made the man in question sleep on his own couch. Ever so slowly she pulled the door open to see an empty couch with folded blankets on one end. She could see the light shining from under the bathroom door and hear the water running.

Hungry and with the promise of not running from his place while he is occupied, she went to the kitchen to see what she could make. Pancakes seemed to be the safest choice as she didn't know if anything else was good or not.

"You didn't have to do that," Clint commented emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later.

"I was hungry, didn't think you would mind," she shrugged. "I will clean my mess up," she quickly assured him.

"Don't worry too much about the mess. I can handle that," he smiled, leaning against the counter next to the stove. Again, he laughed at just comfortable she made herself in his place. "Do you invade everyone's kitchens, they way you have done with me?" He asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Not everyone's," she said shaking her head. "Actually just Jeff's. Otherwise, I don't unless asked to do so. Invading their fridges, that is another story," she softly laughed, flipping the last of the pancakes in the pan. "You hungry?" She questioned, adding said pancakes to the pile on the plate.

"Famished," he said, turning around to grab plates, forks and cups.

They enjoyed a nice breakfast together, Onyx asking him questions about his sister and what else he planned on doing while in the city that never sleeps. She got very little from him about his sister, and that other than the show, he would be spending time with his brother-in-law, his nephew and niece, before coming home in three days times.


	6. Chapter 6

_**I am so sorry with the bit of delay in getting this chapter up. A few things just wouldn't fall into place the way I needed them too. Towards the middle of this chapter there is a guy mentioned, I've used him before in this story and he will play another fun little part later on. And Marley's husband is a bit different but a pairing I am growing more and more to easy love. Anyway enjoy.**_

* * *

"Good afternoon to you," Seb laughed, putting his phone in his pocket. "Have a good morning, did ya?" He asked, placing a cup of coffee on the counter for her. "The shop called and the part they need for your car is still on backorder," he told her before he forgot about the call he got twenty minutes ago.

"Any morning that I am not being interrogated by my nosey roommate, is a good morning," she smirked, blowing on her coffee. It may have been early afternoon, but she didn't care; it wasn't as if the coffee actually kept her awake anymore. "Shit," she cursed. She's had her car in the shop for the past two and a half weeks now. It was starting to feel as if she was never going to get it back.

"All I am saying is that you look really happy. I didn't ask for a run down of things you have done since leaving home yesterday, I am noticing that you must have had a good morning, is all I am insisting upon," he laughed, shaking his head. "A bit defensive are ya?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up," she mumbled, picking a cookie up. "Was Mikki here?" She asked, holding the sugar cookie up.

"Now who's the one being all nosey?" He chuckled, sitting next to her at the kitchen counter. "And yes, she left an hour ago," he informed her.

"Then yes, I did have a wonderful morning," she shrugged, giving him that small detail, albeit one he already knew.

"Gee thanks for that heads up," he dryly told her. "Where is lover boy?"

She rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulder into his. "He's over the Midwest; I think," she shrugged, not sure where the plane in question was at. She nearly burst into laughter seeing the very confused look on his face. "He's headed to New York. His sister is starring in a Broadway play, and he never misses opening night," she explained taking pity on her friend.

"Did he not offer to take you?" Seb teased.

"Do you want a black eye?" She asked him, not at all amused with his less than stellar questions.

"If memory serves me right, I don't get an option in that," he winced, recalling the time she gave him a black eye over something stupid. 5 minutes after the punch they sat on his couch in his parent's basement laughing over said incident while she traded the pack of peas he had used for an ice pack with an actual ice pack.

"Your fault for getting in the way," she tossed out. "Though if my memory serves correct, the ladies were all over you, after the incident," she pointed out. Sebastian laughed, nodding his head to confirm that story. "Besides if he did suggest for me to go with him, I would have denied him. It would be weird," she shrugged.

"And him having lunch with your moms wasn't weird?" He questioned.

"Not really," she shook her head. Things could have been better. "Speaking of which, it came out that he was here with you alone for a ridiculous amount of time, what the hell did you say to him?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," he laughed, pulling the plate of cookies closer to him. "Are you going to tell me what you and Mikki talked about while I wasn't present?" He questioned, knowing he had her.

"Of course not. But the difference being she is your girlfriend; Clint is just a friend," she stressed for him. "Big difference there. Now what did you say to him?" She pressed, grabbing another cookie from the plate.

"As your best friend, I wanted to know more about him. Is that a crime?" He asked with a chuckle at the glare on her face.

"I wish," she retorted with a sigh. "Though I can't fault you for doing it," she conceded. "Did you like what you heard from him?"

"Onyx, as your best friend, I have to ask why are you waiting to be with him?" Seb asked with a very pointed look.

"What do you mean why?" She asked outraged, getting off the stool to pace the living-room. "I've known him what two weeks?" She said, looking at her friend. "After I got out of a relationship with my ex, one that I must remind you lasted a year and one where he cheated on me, so why would I willingly jump straight into another relationship?" She asked him, her anger over the question her friend asked. It was insane for him to even think like that let alone voice said thought.

"Because you've become smitten with him, as he has of you," he calmly told her. "There is no right time to move on from Hunter. You may always hold a small bit of love for him, and that will be okay, Onyx. You don't have to wait forever to be with Clint," he explained softly.

"Give me a month and we can revisit this topic. But right now, I just want to be single and get to know Clint as a friend. I don't want to rush anything," she told her friend, with a smile, letting her anger go. "I'm happy with the way things are, don't go trying to push me into things I am not ready for," she warned, grabbing her cup of coffee to finish what she had left. "I am now off to visit Nick, as I have a few questions for him," she supplied, walking to the door, making sure she had her keys and phone, the rest she didn't need as she would be staying in the apartment complex, just going down to the first floor.

"Just know that when you get back I won't be here, as I do have a date with Mikki," he informed her before she could escape through the door.

"If you plan on coming back here, please let me know, so I can take up refuge on a friend's couch for the night," she told him with a wicked smirk.

"Will do," he chuckled. "Though I'm sure we will go back to her place as she doesn't have any annoying roommates lingering around," he teased, earning himself a middle finger from Onyx before she shut the door behind her. The trek to the first floor was fast, opting out of using the elevator for the stairs.

"I hear congratulations is in order," she said, smiling when Nick opened the door.

"Jeff?" Nick questioned, getting pulled into a tight hug.

"Do you really need to ask?" She asked him laughing. Nick shook his head. "Didn't think so. As much as I am going to miss you at the bar, it gives me the opportunity to bug you at your new place once it opens," she smirked at his chuckle.

"I wouldn't expect anything else," he laughed. "I'll even give you a discount," he said.

"Free will do just fine," she teased, watching him shake his head. "Is your better half home?" She questioned him.

"She is in the living room. Ask her about her news," he beamed, confusing Onyx gratefully. "Sweetie, I am headed out. Need me to grab anything on the way home?" He called into the apartment.

"Nothing I can think of. I'll message you if anything comes up," she said, walking to the front door. "Oh I didn't know you were stopping by," Nick's wife said.

"Seb was annoying me, and I wanted to say congrats to your husband over finally taking the steps to open his own place of business," Onyx shrugged. "I'll give you two a minute," she said, moving further into the apartment.

"You want anything?" Marley questioned, joining her friend in the living room after kissing her husband bye.

"I'm good," she smiled, swiping a handful of popcorn that sat on the coffee table. "What exactly was your husband talking about?" She questioned, eyeing her friend up.

"Depends on what he told you, Onyx. I can't say, one way or another, not until I know what you two were discussing," Marley told her with a soft chuckle.

"Your news. You pregnant or something?" Onyx questioned, eyeing her friend up.

"No," Marley laughed, shaking her head. "We have decided to hold off for another year until he has his place of business open and running smoothly, before trying to have kids," she easily explained.

"It would be tough to juggle a baby and a new business venture," Onyx concluded. "So if a baby isn't the news what is?" She asked curious, more so than before.

"I've been named head chef," she smiled broadly.

"I thought that wouldn't happen for a few more years?"

"Unfortunate circumstances," Marley shrugged, not wanting to go into as she didn't know all the details.

"Either way that is still amazing. We need to celebrate," Onyx suggested.

"Any reason for a girl's night right?" Marley laughed.

"Of course. We should go out tonight," she suggested.

"Not all of us have weekdays off," Marley reminded her friend. "Let's aim for Friday," she suggested.

"Friday might be better. We're not going to my brother's bar either," she warned.

"Can you even drink with you arm in that cast?" Marley questioned. "Your brother's bar isn't the type of place to go and celebrate much of anything," she laughed.

"It's not as if I have been taking my pain meds, as it doesn't hurt, it just itches like a mother fucker," she commented. "And no I haven't broken anything off in the cast trying to scratch the itch," she added on for her own benefit as Seb would question her as well.

* * *

Friday night rolled around faster than anticipated. It would only be Marley, Onyx and Sugar as they couldn't drag the rest of their girl friends out for a night of fun. The ugly green cast clashed with the dark metallic color of her dress. They already had a round of shots, now they were drinking their normal drinks, laughing and having a good time. Within five minutes, her friends were on the dance floor, as she skipped out this time around. Once she starts dancing there is no stopping until she is being forced out the door.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing here all by her lonesome?" A white male with curly brown hair questioned, taking one of the vacant seats.

"What's a scumbag like you doing by your lonesome? Shouldn't your cronies be keeping you in line?" She retorted, going on to ignore him. If she wanted to find a random guy for the night, she wouldn't be off sitting by herself. If she wanted the attention of a guy, she would've went about and got it, she didn't want it. She wanted to enjoy her time with her friends, and she would really appreciate it if she didn't have to deflect guys to do so. "You can go now; you're not wanted here," she told him, avoiding him completely.

"Not a scumbag, but you are a right bitch," he muttered.

"I'm fine with being a bitch; it is obvious that you're not okay being called a scumbag. I didn't look at you or show any interest in you. You came over here on your own accord and started to hit on me," she huffed out, sipping at her cold drink.

"Let's add cold-hearted bitch to that," he chuckled, having consumed enough alcohol to find it more amusing than hurtful.

"Jason, dude let's go," a darker skinned man called, waving his buddy back.

"Run along before I chew you up and feed you to the sharks," she commented; her gaze shifting to the dance floor.

"You would be perfect for my friend; he'd tame ya in no time," he smirked walking off.

She had the urge to toss her drink in his face, but that would be a waste of her money and drink as he just wasn't worth it. Finishing off her drink, she went in search of her friends to enjoy her night with her best friends, forgetting about the interaction with the slimy scumbag. Dancing and consuming far more than she should until last call had her feeling light and fuzzy.

"Hear me out," Sugar said, sipping on the wine they decided they needed to drink the second they made it to Sugar's place. Going back to Onyx's place meant dealing with Sebastian and going to Marley's place meant dealing with Nick, who would call Sebastian just like he would call Nick whereas at Sugar's place, there is no one else there to ruin their fun.

"About what?" Marley questioned, looking at her friend. They hadn't even been talking about anything serious, mostly just laughing at random nonsense.

"The so-called slimeball that hit on our friend here," Sugar smirked, looking at Onyx.

"What about him?" Onyx asked slowly, regretting ever telling them about the incident with the guy named Jason. She was over it, had been hours ago. Her friend's apparently not so much.

"I've been thinking," Sugar commented, swirling the deep red liquid around in her glass. "I don't think you would have been so uptight with him if you wouldn't be crushing so hard on a certain cutie," she suggested.

"My feelings toward Clint had nothing to do with me blowing the guy from the club off," Onyx huffed out downing the last bit of her wine.

"Uh huh," Marley snorted into her drink. "It makes sense, because this Jason guy he was pretty good looking," she smiled.

"He did have it going on and those curls," Sugar dreamily sighed.

"What about Nick or even my brother?" Onyx asked looking between her friends. "Please don't tell me you want to give my brother a perm?" She pleaded, getting up on wobbly legs to get more wine. Why they left it on the kitchen counter for; she didn't know.

"You're brother with a perm; I don't think so," Sugar retorted. "Please, Onyx, you're going to tell me that you never noticed how hot other guys were when you were with Hunter?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't notice because it didn't matter since I had Hunter," she shrugged. Checking out any guy while she was dating anyone it didn't happen as she didn't have a need to see how hot another person was as she wasn't looking to upgrade her partner for any relationship she had ever been in. "And he wasn't that good-looking," she retorted, slowly making her way back to the chair she occupied before, but wanting to spill her wine.

"Are you saying that because you want to jump Clint, badly?" A drunken Marley giggled.

"I never said or hinted that I wanted to jump Clint," Onyx huffed out, taking a hardy drink of her wine.

"You're not denying it either, Onyx," Sugar pointed out. Onyx rolled her eyes, making herself a bit more dizzy than she already is. "Nothing is wrong with wanting Clint in any form. The guy truly cares about you."

"Enough so that he is willing to wait on you. When are you going to let Hunter and what he did to you go? It's not doing you any good to hold onto that pain," Marley stated.

"You don't get it," she sighed, slowly sipping the last of her wine.

"Enlighten us," Sugar commented, Marley nodding her head to encourage her friend.

"I know how great of a guy Clint is," she sighed, biting her lip for a moment. "I want to move on from what Hunter did, but it's not that easy as I do feel like if Hunter did it than Clint will to. I'm just waiting for him to get bored with me, so I don't get hurt worse than I already feel," she explained, casting her gaze to the red liquid in the glass.

"I know how to make you quit doubting yourself and him," Sugar smiled sweetly, steadying herself on her drunken legs, to stumble over to the door where all of their handbags laid.

"What are you doing?" Onyx groaned, closing her eyes.

"Are you calling him?" Marley laughed.

"If I can unlock her phone," Sugar pouted, falling over the arm of her couch. "What is your password?"

"Like I'm telling you," Onyx retorted.

"Ooo try Clint is so dreamy," Marley giggled, causing Sugar to laugh sweetly and Onyx to groan louder.

"I would but its numbers," Sugar replied, calming down from her laughter, to show Marley.

"You best not lock me out of my phone," she warned, making no move to get up and get her phone from her friends.

"Then tell us the passcode, so we can get in and not lock you out," Marley stated.

"0473," she muttered, making a note in her very hazy, drunken mind to change the passcode on her phone tomorrow if she could remember to do so.

"Interesting," Sugar muttered, reading the texts from Clint earlier that day. "Text him quite often do you?"

"Obviously," Marley snorted. "He looks rather adorable with kids," she gushed, seeing the picture he sent to Onyx, where he was cuddled with his niece and nephew on the couch both kids fast asleep, using him as their pillow.

"Marls listen to this," Sugar said, squinting at the small screen. "They look comfy; I mean you are comfy, winky face," Sugar giggled, reading the reply Onyx sent him.

"Do you know this because of the night you ditched your own party?" Marley questioned seriously, her giggles not contained.

"I don't know what you mean," Onyx played it off.

"How grown up of you to play the denial game," Sugar snorted, pressing the call button. "Oops," she laughed putting the phone to her ear, listening to his phone ring. "Voicemail," she started listening to his voicemail kick in.

"Like hell," Onyx muttered, leaning over the coffee table to get to her phone. "Sugar, seriously give me my phone," she warned, crawling across the coffee table, right on top of Sugar.

"Get off me," Sugar laughed, holding the phone out to Marley.

"Damn you," Onyx huffed, her attention now going to Marley.

"Hello?" Marley asked, hearing Clint now on the other end of the line.

"You're not Onyx, is she okay?" He asked, shaking the last remnants of sleep from his foggy mind, to worry about Onyx.

"If you count being drunk okay," Marley replied, using her feet to push Onyx away.

"Dude just hang up the phone, seriously," Onyx shouted.

"Can you put Onyx on the phone?" He questioned, not finding any of this to be funny. He really wanted to be sleeping as he needs to be in a few short hours.

"He wants you," Marley said, giggling when she understood just how her words truly sounded.

Onyx snatched her phone from her friend's outstretched hand, getting to her own feet was more of struggle than it should have been. Glaring at her friends, she walked to Sugar's guest room, shutting the door and falling into a heap in the twin sized bed kept for such situations.

"I'm so sorry about them. I didn't think they would pull a stunt like that. You must be tired as it's what," she paused, pulling the phone from her ear to see that was nearing 4 in the morning for her. "Almost 5," she said, moving to cover up with the blanket adding in the hour time difference between them.

"It's fine," he told her, relaxing now that he knew she was fine. "I've got to be up by 7, so it's just an early wake-up call," he chuckled. "Why the call?"

"It's a long story and I'm drunk," she told him shutting her eyes. "It started out with this scumbag hitting on me at the club, and it snowballed from there," she yawned.

"I see," he said, willing himself to relax after that news.

"You shouldn't worry as you are far better looking than he could ever dream to be. Did you know that you are like ridiculously hot?" She asked him. "And you smell delicious?"

"I didn't know that I smelt delicious," he chuckled. "The hot part I may have had a feeling," he smiled into the phone. "The hotness level goes both ways here, Onyx."

"Damn straight it does," she snorted, making him laugh deeper.

"Why are you drunk?" He asked, promptly changing the topic. He had a feeling that she said more than she ever would admit to while sober. Best to leave it at that.

"Marley got promoted to head chef, we had to celebrate," she easily commented. "Get some sleep Clint," she more so demanded.

"You should sleep, Onyx. Don't forget to drink water before falling asleep," he told her.

"Got it, night or morning," she yawned into the phone.

The last thing she heard was his deep chuckle. She didn't make it out of bed to drink any amount of water. Her phone falling to the cream-colored carpet with a soft thud.

"Drink this, take these," a deep voice told her, pulling her from her slumber with a groan as her head pounded an unsteady beat. She sat up her eyes remaining closed, willing herself not to throw up, taking the cup of what she assumed is water and the two capsules of aspirin.

"What are you even doing here?" She asked, thrusting the now empty cup into his hands.

"Jeff came to deal with his girlfriend; Nick came for his wife, and I thought being the best friend whom I am, that I would collect you and make sure you get home okay. Best friend duty," he smirked, keeping his voice low.

"What about Mikki?" She questioned, squinting at him. "Shouldn't you be off with her?"

"No," he chuckled. "She's visiting with family, not that we had plans; I figured you'd be hungover enough to need me today," he told her.

"It's sweet and endearing that you blew your girlfriend off for me. Even if I know that it's because you don't want to meet her family yet," she stated, slowly sitting up. "What time is it?"

"A quarter past 11," he commented. "Let's get you home and you can sleep the rest of the day if you truly wish to," he suggested.

"That is heaven, Seb," she replied, slowly getting up. "Do you have my phone?" She asked, looking around her as slow as she could without making her head hurt worse or her stomach to get violent on her.

"In my pocket," he informed her, helping her get up.

Later that evening, she woke in her own bed, the pounding now a dull thump. She reached for her phone, pulling the cable out now that it is fully charged to see that it was now after 6 at night, and that she had a few messages from Sugar and Marley. She would get to them later. First, she would deal with Clint's messages.

 **'I hope your feeling okay today.'** She frowned because she didn't remember talking to him at any point since yesterday afternoon. **'You up to hanging out tmrw? I would see about today, but I'm sure you'll be sleeping most the day.'** Seriously how did he know? The most she told him was that she would be going out for a drink with her friends, and it wouldn't be anything more than that. She left the message thread, to check her call log.

"Shit," she cursed, going back into the message thread once more.

 _'I'll see you tmrw. Madhatters tea house and cafe? I feel like shit. You've won a prize, as I've slept most of the day. Pick any prize. What the hell did I say to you?'_

While she waited on his reply, she checked the texts from her friends, asking how she was faring, and saying they were never drinking that much again. She agreed with that sentiment, saying so in her reply back to them both telling them she still felt as if she were dying.

 **'I'll get back to you about that prize. I'll be at your place at 9, and we'll go from there.'** She nodded to herself reading that section of his reply. She didn't want to read the next part, not wanting to know how big of a fool she had been 14 hours prior while drunk. **'You told me sorry, and a scumbag hit on you. And you proceeded to tell me to sleep. Did you drink the water like I told you?'**

 _'Uh no.'_ She didn't remember drinking any water at any point. _'I think I should have though. I'll be here tmrw, hopefully awake and ready. If not wake me.'_

 **'Shame on you. Deal.'** He replied. Adding, **'I've suddenly got company. Talk later?'**

 _'I need food anyway. Enjoy your company. I'll be around as I really don't want to leave.'_

After sending her message, she tossed her blankets to the side, leaving her phone on her pillow in search of her roommate and food. Hopefully Chinese. Because if Seb truly knew her, he would have already ordered the Chinese food as she always craved it while hungover.


	7. Chapter 7

**We do see some of the same messages from the previous chapter, but this time they are from Clint's perspective, as is this chapter. I didn't come outright and say which play it is that Rachel stars in. There is far too many and I couldn't pick just one. Onyx belongs to me and can't be used without my permission. Enjoy!**

* * *

With his flight being close to four hours long, he found himself getting to his sister's house a little after 9 as it took him some time to get out of the airport. He quietly entered the house, seeing lights on in the living room. He smiled, seeing one of his parents watching the 9 O'Clock news.

"Good evening to you," Hiram greeted him, not looking away from the news. Clint repeated the sentiment, making sure the door is locked behind him. "Rachel's in bed, rehearsals are taking it out of her. Little Gracie Jo and Isaiah Frankie are asleep," Hiram informed him, not giving him the chance to ask where everyone happened to be at. He figured the kids would be in bed. "Was your flight okay? How is your life going in Texas? Are you and Sunshine still dating? You know it's been nearly six months since we last heard from you," Hiram guilt tripped him. "Dinner is in the fridge for you," he tacked on.

Clint nodded walking to the kitchen leaving his bag by the front door; he would take it up to his nephew's room; as that is the room he stays in when he visits. He didn't feel like going through his whole personal life at this time with his dad. Not when he would get the same spiel from his sister when he did see her for more than a minute.

"Where's Puck?" He asked heating the food up before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"He's got the night shift. Traded a few shifts around to get the next few days off of work. Now you going to answer my questions?" Hiram asked with a pointed look.

"I'm single; she broke up with me and is getting married to Unique. My flight was fine; I thought about moving elsewhere after everything came out," he sighed confessing. It is the first time he has voiced that part of what he planned on doing. Where he would move to he didn't make it that far into deciding before his world tipped on its axis.

"And why didn't you?" Hiram questioned, getting himself a cold glass of water.

"I met someone," he smiled, itching to take his phone out and turn it back on and send her a message that he had made it safely to his sister's house. As he had promised to do so before parting ways.

"And with that goofy look on your face, I can safely say this someone is very special," Hiram chuckled.

"She could be," he easily agreed. "It's a bit complicated right now. She got handed a bad and very raw deal with her ex," he sighed, explaining a bit more on why he wasn't with her yet.

"I guess I don't need to be telling you about broken hearts and all," Hiram chuckled, shaking his head. "I think you've moved on just fine from one heartbreak to something that could be more serious."

"I hope so," Clint nodded. "And for the record, it hasn't been six months since I last talked to you," he chuckled. He is good at calling home every few weeks. And they talked a little over two weeks ago, granted it was more to do with their divorce than about him. "It's just been so much going on with you and pops, that it was easy to breeze over anything going on with me. Is he here?" Clint asked, placing his fork down.

"He'll be coming in tomorrow morning. Everyone is to have breakfast with him before Rachel needs to be at the theater," Hiram let him know. Clint could feel the uneasy shift in the room speaking about Leroy, but that didn't stop him from asking more questions.

"How is the while divorce coming along?" Clint asked, while finishing off the last of his late-night dinner.

"It is very complicated," Hiram sighed. "It is nothing that you need to be worrying about. Whatever transpires between us, we will still be there for you. We can be civil towards each other," he assured his son.

"I'm not worried about that. I love you both, and I don't like seeing you guys go through something that is painful for the both of you."

"It is going to be painful, Clint. There is no way around that. It's just something that is best for us," Hiram stressed.

"Is it though?" Clint asked placing his dirty dishes in the sink. He would wash them in the morning; he just didn't have the energy to do so tonight. "Have you tried all your options? Have you really thought about it? How do you know that getting a divorce is the best option?" He asked at a rapid pace.

"We've done everything that we can. That is all you need to know, Clint. We tried and sometimes it just doesn't work out and there is nothing wrong with that," Hiram told him, rubbing his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"I wonder if it's something you both want, or if it is the easy way out of it all," Clint said making his departure to get his bag and head up to get ready for bed.

After going through his nightly routine, he crawled into the made up air mattress on the floor of his nephew's room. Making sure his phone was on silent as not to wake his nephew up from his deep slumber, he pulled up his message thread with Onyx.

 **'Can you say awkward?'** He texted Onyx, knowing that with the hour time difference that she would still be as for her it was only a half hour past 8. And as tired as he may have been from the flying, he is pretty much wide awake after that little chat with his dad. He may have said more than he should, but he hated to see his parent's marriage fall apart so easily.

 _'Uh-oh. How far did you get that foot in your mouth?'_ He laughed softly as not to wake his nephew up.

 **'Further than it should be. It sure doesn't taste good.'** He quickly replied, shaking his head. The thing about Onyx it seemed whatever she was doing she always sent him a message within seconds of the one he sent. **'If you're busy, you can finish that before replying back.'** He sent her quickly not wanting her to think she needed to be putting him first.

 _'I've been left to defend for myself. Seb is on a date, and everyone else is either working or have work come morning, so I guess, for the time being, you are stuck with me ;P'_ Again he found himself laughing going to reply back to her when he noticed that she was writing something else. _'One would think that their foot tasted poorly. Want to talk about it?'_

 **'Are you really stuck when I would gladly enjoy your company? I'll keep that in mind.'** He had no plans of sharing the ordeal over texts. But there was something about Onyx that saw him not even a full second later typing out more. **'I pretty much said a few things that I'm starting to second guess to my dad.'** He hit send before he could erase the message altogether.

 _'I am a pro at saying stupid shit to my folks. So you know it'll be fine, and it will work itself out after a few awkward, tense moments shared.'_

 **'Not helping.'**

 _'Was I supposed to be helping? And btw no I guess you wouldn't be stuck with me.'_

 **'I am not really sure. You are just telling me the truth.'** He composed and hit send. And before he could think better of it, he added a little more. **'So you know you will never be stuck with me. I enjoy spending time with you, Onyx.'**

 _'For the record I enjoy spending time with you. If you didn't know that. And I've learned that truth may hurt like hell, but you need to know it over some lie to keep you safe.'_

 **'I agree with you there. I would rather be told the truth than a lie.'**

 _'Makes sense. Other than your foot in your mouth, how was your flight? Your sister?'_

 **'Flight was good. My sister and her kids are sleeping and her husband is out doing the overnight shift, so I will get back to you on that one.'**

 _'I am holding you to that.'_

He spent the next few hours trading texts with Onyx, going deep into the night, where he should have been asleep, but talking to her he wasn't even remotely tired. He knew that he should be getting some sleep for he will have a busy day planned tomorrow as he already told his sister that he wanted to spend the day with his niece and nephew. A day where he would let them pick what they wanted to do before taking them to the best pizza place in the city.

 _'I hate to be the buzz kill, but I can barely keep my eyes open. I need some beauty sleep.'_

 **'Go get your beauty sleep. Not that you need it ;)'**

 _'Goodnight Clint'_

 **'Goodnight Onyx'**

With his phone close to being dead he put it on the charger, a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep. His last thoughts were about how special Onyx is to him.

* * *

"Wake up Uncle Clint," his 6-year-old niece giggled, jumping next to him on the air mattress.

"Gracie quit it," Isaiah demanded. "You really need to grow up," he huffed out sittingon the edge of his bed.

"You need to be a kid," she retorted sticking her tongue out at her 8-year-old brother. Clint not able to hold his laughter in.

"Miss Gracie can jump all she wants," Clint said, sitting up. "There is plenty of room for you to jump as well Isaiah," Clint said giving his nephew a challenging look.

"If we pop it, you are the one getting in trouble," Isaiah told him, coming over to jump on the air mattress.

"I will take full responsibility," Clint laughed.

"Are you three coming down for breakfast?" Puck asked appearing in the doorway, his uniform still on; an amused smile on his face watching his kids be kids. Their laughter is contagious making Puck laugh as well.

"On our way, dude," Clint retorted, while Gracie jump from the air mattress to her dad's awaiting arms who moved closer to catch her. "Come on little dude," Clint said, grabbing his phone before following after his nephew. "Rach," he greeted his sister with a hug.

"Clint," Rachel smiled, hugging him tight. "How is everything going with you?"

"He's got himself a special woman back in Texas," Hiram remarked, sipping on his coffee.

"What about Sunshine?" Puck asked, helping his daughter fix her plate of food.

"She's getting married to someone else," he shrugged. "I don't mind these days," he smiled, going to get himself a cup of coffee that he would be needing today after his late night texting session with Onyx.

"Who is this woman who has such a powerful hold on my little brother?" Rachel asked, taking her seat after making sure her son didn't need any help fixing his plate.

"Puck knows her," he informed them. Giving them as little information as he could. He wasn't trying to keep her a secret, he would tell them after he had some fun first.

"How do I know her?" Puck questioned with a frown. "It's not someone I have a past with, is it?" If it was someone he had past sexual relations with, it would be beyond weird.

"You do have a past with her, but not in that way," Clint said, sitting down with his coffee and plate of food.

"Dude, you are making very little sense," Puck laughed shaking his head not able to recall who it could be. "Who is it?"

"Onyx Sterling," Clint finally caved, taking a bite of food, his taste buds enjoying the vegan food, he only eats when around his sister.

"No!" Puck laughed. "She still causing trouble?" He inquired.

"Not in that way. She's still a handful, though I don't think that's ever going to change, honestly. It's who she is."

"You know that name sounds kind of familiar," Rachel commented, trying to place the name to the face.

"She went to McKinley when you went and did mentors," Clint explained the best he could with what information he had.

"You remember her because Jesse talked highly of her," Puck commented."He broke her leg in that motorcycle accident. She has brown hair; she is taller than you," he teased.

Clint chuckled, pulling his phone out, as Puck went about trying to explain who Onyx is to his wife.

 **'Morning** ,' he quickly types out, replying to the morning text she sent him. ' **Mind sending me a selfie?'** He asked her.

 _'Uh why?'_ He laughed at her confusion that came through with those two little words.

 **'Need proof. I'll repay the favor, swear on my heart and everything.'**

 _'Since you asked so nicely.'_ He chuckled waiting for the picture to come through. He smiled seeing her in a purple tank top, sitting on what he assumed is the kitchen counter with the cupboards behind her.

 **'Is it wrong of me to think you look even more stunning void of makeup?'** He quickly sent to her.

 _'It's not. Just don't make me blush again.'_

 **'I promise nothing!'**

"Why are you smiling all goofy for Uncle Clint?" Gracie asked him.

"That is an excellent question, sweetie," Rachel commented. "Mind sharing it with the rest of us?"

"It's nothing. But this is her," he said, clicking on the imagine, making sure to save the picture, showing his family. Rachel finally recognizing her.

"She's pretty Uncle Clint," Gracie commented.

"Pretty indeed," Hiram commented. He quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket, noticing for the first time that not everyone was there. "He'll be here later. His flight got delayed or that is the excuse Leroy is going with," Hiram informed him.

"Okay, I'm going to grab a shower and get my day with these two started," Clint said, placing his plate in the sink. Avoiding any more uncomfortable talk about divorce and everything in-between that.

When he finished with his shower and dressed for the day, he joined his brother-in-law in the living room while the kids watched a yellow sponge on TV.

"Everyone is out, and I'm going to bed," Puck yawned, pushing himself off the couch. "My car is in the garage if you want to use it," he informed his brother-in-law. Clint nodded, that bit of information being useful for him.

Clint waited until a commercial break before asking them what they wanted to do for the day.

"Can we go to the museum?" Gracie asked. Before he could ask which museum, Isaiah was there to fill him in.

"She wants to go to the American Museum of Natural History," Isaiah clarified. "Dad read the book to us the other night and now she wants to go and she's been told maybe by mom and dad." They had also watched the movies, and she really wanted to see the things from the movie and from the book.

"Then we will make a day of it," Clint easily agreed. He is known to do what Puck or Rachel wouldn't take their kids to do because of the lack of time. And going to the museum would eat up most of the day if not all of it. It's not if they didn't want to do the stuff with their kids it was just a matter of finding the time to do it all as the kids wanted to experience it all.

The kids cheered, turning back to their show. He shook his head seeing they still had two hours before the museum is to open as it was only eight in the morning. With the kids occupied with the very annoying jellyfish loving yellow sponge, he made his way to the kitchen to get more coffee. He frowned feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket, no one should be calling him as they all knew where he is at and he didn't think his parents or sister would be calling him. His frown turned into a bright smile seeing the number and picture on the screen.

"Miss me already?" He teased, using his shoulder to hold his phone while he poured coffee into his cup from earlier.

"Hardly," she retorted. "Again I've been left alone. And I still haven't received a selfie of you yet," she told him.

"It's coming," he laughed. "What are your plans for the day?" He questioned, mixing in sugar and Irish creamer into his coffee.

"Waiting for my friends to finish working then we are going out for a girl's night. And I'm going to be questioning Seb about protection seeing as he hasn't been home from his date last night yet." Clint chuckled.

"Maybe he wants to make you Auntie Onyx, before Jeff can," he retorted, blowing on his coffee, before taking a drink.

Onyx snorted at that comment. "I wouldn't doubt it." When they were younger, they were great at besting each other when it came to her. And she never understood why as she loved them the same. Jeff is her brother and she goes to him when she needs him. And Seb is very much like a brother to her, he will always remain her best friend, it is something that they both know, but yet it never stopped them from their silly little competitions."What are your plans for the day?"

"Museum with my niece and nephew, then we will come home and find something to do here after we get pizza of course and get ready for the opening night of the play. Why are you up so early?" He questioned. He has his niece mostly to thank for him being up so early, but she was an hour behind him so it was earlier for her.

"Ugh, if I knew I would tell you," she commented with a yawn.

"Here's a thought, go back to bed," he told her.

"I've tried, couldn't sleep," she told him. "Hey look my best friend is finally returning home, best I see about the protection situation," she told him.

Clint laughed knowing she said it loud enough for Sebastian to hear her. "I'll be sending the selfie through to you later," he informed her once again.

"Before the night is over with," she warned him, ending the call.

He laughed, placing his phone in his pocket, taking his coffee and going back to the living room. Knowing it would take them plenty of time to get ready to go and to get to the museum he turned the TV off.

* * *

"What are we visiting first?" He asked after spending 75 dollars on the tickets alone. The tickets were a bit more pricey as he got the ones where everything was included.

"Dinosaurs," Isaiah suggested. Like most 8 year old boys he had a huge fascination with dinosaurs. He could never get enough and Clint felt that if they did go there first they wouldn't be leaving that exhibit.

"I wanna see the space show," Gracie said, tugging on her uncle's arm to pull him in that direction.

Having a quick look at the map it seemed as the dinosaurs would be their first stop as they were on the fourth floor and they would work their way down and end their day at the museum when they got back to the first floor and after they saw the space show Gracie wanted to see.

The kids were in awe the whole time, talking about everything they saw, like they knew the history behind each exhibit. Clint listening with rapt attention, only explaining when they asked him. He often joined in with them making up a silly story. By the time they made it to the dinosaurs, they were competing to see who could make up the most ridiculous story. It ended in a tie when they kept adding more to the story told before their own.

By the time they left the museum, it was late afternoon. They decided on getting their pizza to go. Clint not wanting one or both of the kids falling asleep in their pizza at the restaurant.

After they got full on the pizza back at home, they sat down on the couch to watch a movie, they both settling on Minions. Within a half hour both kids were sound asleep using him as a pillow. He managed to get his phone out snapping a quick picture.

 **'Selfie as promised. It's rather adorable ;** **D'** He hit send before he could think better of it. He felt himself dozing off when he heard and felt his phone in his hand indicating he has a new text.

 _'They look comfy; I mean you are comfy ;)  
I don't know if adorable is there right word to use. A dorky, fun-loving uncle, comes to mind._ _'_ He snorted reading both of her replies.

"Your father caught me up on the ongoings in your life and what you said to him," Leroy said, sitting in a chair, getting Clint to put his phone down without replying back to Onyx.

"I'm not sorry for what I said," he retorted."Being a kid when I was brought into your home that feeling of love it's crazy to think that it had just gone away after all these years and after your kids moved out. To me that is insane," he said.

"And you're allowed to voice your opinion, we've never once silenced you or Rachel…"

"I can think of a few times that we should've silenced Rachel," Clint muttered, making Leroy chuckle.

"Be nice, look where your sister is at," Leroy chastised him. "Don't be afraid to say what your thinking when it comes to your feelings on any topic. If they can't handle it, then so be it. This whole thing isn't easy on any of us," Leroy told him.

"It's not easy. I know I live in a different state, but watching your parents who were madly in love with each other, turn into public enemy number one, it's not easy," he sighed. "I just want you to find what made you two fall in love with each other again. I know it won't be easy, but can it be that hard to find that special spark again?"

"We all change when we grow older and go through life. If can be a challenge to find that spark after kids and everything in-between that had changed us. It is something that we have tried. You can fall out of love just as quickly as falling in love," Leroy told him, wanting to make him understand that it isn't that easy to rekindle an old flame.

"Think we should wake these two and get them ready. Then all we'll have to worry about is their father?" Clint asked, seeing that it is getting late enough for them to get woken up so they could all get ready to go. As he had nothing else to say, and he didn't feel like getting into a fight with both of his parents, not when today is about Rachel.

* * *

Two nights in a row now saw him crawling into bed past midnight to get some sleep. The first night was his own fault refusing to call it a night when he was trading texts with Onyx. Last night it was for Rachel's play. Something he couldn't change the time on when he got to bed. As it was, he carried a sleeping boy to his bed as both Gracie and Isaiah were out cold by the time they left the theater and got back to the house.

He swore he had just fallen asleep when the sound of his phone woke him up. A glance at the screen told him that it was close to 5 in the morning and that Onyx was calling him.

"Get off me." He frowned hearing someone he knew but he couldn't place who with being half asleep.

"Damn you." He knew that was Onyx cursing her friends out.

"Onyx? Hello?" He asked groggily into the phone. Needing someone to fill him in on what was going on.

"Hello?" Again he couldn't place just who was on the phone talking to him.

"You're not Onyx, is she okay?" He asked, shaking the last remnants of sleep from his foggy mind, to worry about what was happening to Onyx. As that was the only reason he could think of for them to call him at such ungodly hour.

"If you count being drunk okay." Drunk? She did say something about going out with friends.

"Dude just hang up the phone, seriously," Onyx shouted. Since they called him he's had enough. He wanted to have a chat with Onyx, so he could get a few more hours of sleep.

"Can you put Onyx on the phone?" He questioned, not finding any of this to be funny. He really wanted to be sleeping as he needs to be up in a few short hours.

"He wants you." The girl giggles annoyed him more than they should have. He just didn't find anything funny about being woken up in the wee hours of the morning to sounds of drunks.

He was left waiting long enough that he woke up a bit more to understand what was going on. For a split second he thought she might have hung up on him, but he could hear her rustling around on the other end. He was about to ask if she was still there when she started to speak.

"I'm so sorry about them. I didn't think they would pull a stunt like that. You must be tired as it's what," she paused. At the most he could only assume that she pulled her phone back to look at the time. "Almost 5."

"It's fine," he told her, relaxing now that he knew she was fine. "I've got to be up by 7, so it's just an early wake-up call," he chuckled. "Why the call?"

"It's a long story, and I'm drunk," she told him shutting her eyes. "It started out with this scumbag hitting on me at the club, and it snowballed from there," she yawned. He won't lie, he felt jealous that someone had hit on her and a little annoyed he wasn't there to stop it.

"I see," he said, willing himself to relax after that news.

"You shouldn't worry as you are far better looking than he could ever dream to be. Did you know that you are like ridiculously hot?" She asked him. "And you smell delicious?"

"I didn't know that I smelt delicious," he chuckled. "The hot part I may have had a feeling," he smiled into the phone. "The hotness level goes both ways here, Onyx." He doubted that she would remember this conversation when she finally fell asleep and woke up.

"Damn straight it does," she snorted, making him laugh deeper.

"Why are you drunk?" He asked, promptly changing the topic. He had a feeling that she said more than she ever would admit to while being sober. Best to leave it at that.

"Marley got promoted to head chef, we had to celebrate," she easily commented. "Get some sleep Clint," she more so demanded. He held his chuckle in at her demand. He could easily use a few more hours of sleep.

"You should sleep, Onyx. Don't forget to drink water before falling asleep," he told her, wanting her to feel somewhat normal when she woke up in a few hours and not like she was dying.

"Got it, night or morning," she yawned into the phone. He chuckled, ending the call and putting his phone on silent looking to make sure that his nephew was still sleeping.

It took Clint very few seconds to fall back asleep.

* * *

He had one final breakfast with his family. Here shared plenty of hugs with his niece and nephew, made promises to visit them again soon. They promised unbeknownst to their parents that they would come visit him too.

Saying his byes was never easy, not when dealing with family. He, however, couldn't wait to return home. He had a day planned with his friends who were also business partners of his. Not to mention how anxious he is to see Onyx and see how it will be between them after what she said drunk. He would tell her what she said if she asked her wouldn't lie. He would say it in a way that wouldn't embarrass her further, if he could.

 **'I hope your feeling okay today.** **'** He sent her the second he got home. Adding, **'You up to hanging out tmrw?** **I would see about today, but I'm sure you'll be sleeping most the day.** **'** He would be sleeping the next few hours, now that he was home and no one is around to bother him.

 _'I'll see you tmrw. Madhatters tea house and cafe? I feel like shit. You've won a prize, as I've slept most of the day. Pick any prize. What the hell did I say to you?_ _'_ He was watching TV when he saw his phone light up on the coffee table, making no noise as he had forgotten to turn the volume on.

 **'I'll get back to you about that prize. I'll be at your place at 9, and we'll go from there.** **'** He commented. Thinking of the best way to put into words what she said. It was something he needed to do in person and not over a text message. Instead of telling the embarrassing things he stuck to the better option. **'You told me sorry, and a scumbag hit on you.** **And you proceeded to tell me to sleep. Did you drink the water like I told you?'**

 _'Uh no._ _'_ He didn't think she would've drank the water. As she did sound pretty out of it when they talked. _'I think I should have though._ _I'll be here tmrw, hopefully awake and ready. If not wake me.'_

 **'Shame on you. Deal.** **'** He replied, hearing the knock at his door, seeing his friends on the other side didn't surprise him, as Mrs. McDevitt liked letting his friends in when she was in the lobby. **'I've suddenly got company. Talk later?'**

 _'I need food anyway. Enjoy your company. I'll be around as I really don't want to leave.'_

Reading her message he opened his door to let his friends in, while stuffing his phone into his pocket.

"You'll never believe what happened the other night." He had to admit he was curious as to what happened. Going as far as to ask what.

He laughed as his friends told him the story of the night from beginning to end. Made him wish he had been there to witness it in person. "Are you going to hit on a woman again?" Clint teasingly asked.

"I won't lie, it scarred me a little. It might be a few days before I put the moves on a chick."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita, and you need to ask her permission to use miss mouse. Remember how I told you to remember the guy that hit on Onyx from chapter 6? He is back in play this chapter in a funny little way. The lyrics that I have used in this chapter are mine. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"She's still getting ready," Seb informed him, pulling the door open, letting him enter. "You can try knocking. I don't think she fell asleep," he commented, heading back to the kitchen. "And Clint," he called getting the younger man's attention. "Good morning."

"Morning, Sebastian," he returned, heading down the small hallway stopping at the first bedroom. "Onyx," Clint called through her bedroom door, with a knock. Raised better than to just barge into a woman's bedroom.

"Just a moment," she called, looking in the mirror to see if she liked the pale green vintage floral style dress. It stopped above her knee and it was perfect for the hot summer day that would overtake the warm morning they have. A pair of white wedges accompanied the dress. Deciding to pull her hair up so it would be out of her face, she pulled her bedroom door open. Her makeup was very little as it was an off day for her where she didn't feel like wearing it all. "Cat got your tongue?" She asked with a smirk, grabbing her purse, her belongs already inside of it.

"Have fun on your date," Seb called from the kitchen sipping on his coffee. "Do have her home before midnight," he chuckled.

"Why?" She asked looking at Seb, hand on the doorknob. "It's not like you come home before midnight," she remarked, pulling the door open. "And you know how I feel about your rules. So I'll be home a quarter after midnight," she stated, sticking her tongue out at her best friend, Clint laughing at the antics between friends. "You do know despite what my best friend says, this isn't a date, right?" She questioned waiting for the elevator. Why she felt the strong need to clear that up, stumped her. Despite the teasing from Seb, Clint knew that friendship is all they have going on right now.

"I do know that," he nodded, he wouldn't assume anything with Onyx. "We are friends, and I am not going to push you into anything," he confirmed hitting the button for the lobby, once they got on the elevator. "As uncomfortable as it is going to be, I do think we need to clear the air after that drunk call from you while I was out of town." He groaned to himself, seeing the look of dread over taking her face. He just put his foot in his mouth, again. He was starting to think he wasn't going to learn how to keep things to himself.

"I thought you said I didn't say anything stupid," she sighed, casting a look between anger and annoyance at him. She didn't appreciate him keeping that from her. She wanted him to tell the truth not lie about what she said and use her drunken words against her at a later date.

"I didn't want to say anything over text. That just screamed wrong to me," he told her. "If you can't hear what you said while drunk, how can we be friends? Because I cannot forget what you said, Onyx." She could have said things worse than what she told him, he knew that. What she told him wasn't something horrible. They could remain friends, with very little embarrassment between them.

"I didn't say anything stupid, did I?" She questioned. She didn't have a problem talking about what she happened to say while intoxicated, it was the fact he didn't say anything about it sooner. Which, she did let him know about.

"I am sorry for not being truthful there, but there was no right way to say it over a text. And maybe you oughta define stupid," he replied. Cringing with what had been said and it could be defined as stupid. And maybe it was best if they dropped the topic altogether. No, he couldn't do that now that he brought it up.

"Ugh, you can't do this to me," she whined, stepping out of the apartment complex. Her mind racing on the very excessive things she could have said.

"Do what?" He laughed, placing his hand on her lower back leading her to his 1968 Shelby Mustang in a cool black. "I'm not doing anything, this is all on you," he said.

"Real fancy," she laughed, running a hand over the side of his car. "Why I haven't I seen your car sooner?" She questioned, coming to a stop next to the passenger side door.

"I didn't know you wanted to see it," he chuckled, pulling the door open for her now that it was unlocked. "Some idiot scratched it a few weeks back, had it in to get the scratch removed, along with few other things that I didn't have the time to do," he shrugged. "It's not like you're jumping at the bit to show off your car," he remarked, shutting the door once she was safely inside. "You do have a car don't you?"

"Would that change anything, if I didn't have a car?" She questioned, purely out of fun; curious to know how he felt now that she asked him.

"No," he answered. "It wouldn't change anything."

"Good," she smiled. "Yes, I have a car," she shared. "My car is in the shop. Once I get it back, you can check it out all you want," she told him. "But nice job in changing the subject," she laughed, buckling her seat belt.

"Me?" He chuckled, fastening his own seat belt. "I did no such thing. You're the one that got all hot and bothered over my car," he teased.

"Can you blame me?" She smirked. "But seriously what did I tell you while heavily intoxicated?" She asked. She dreaded hearing what messed up things she said, knowing what thoughts lurked in her mind late at night about him.

"Never," he laughed, pulling his car into the street. "You told me about the scumbag hitting on you and why you were out drinking, but can you not remember anything?" He asked. It felt weird to tell her what she said, it would embarrass her and he didn't want to put her in that awkward place. "Anything you want to say to my face while sober?" He asked.

"About you?" She questioned. He nodded, pulling into the turn lane. She silently groaned, fearing she might have said something she may regret in a few minutes. "Can you just tell me, because I'm never going to figure it out," she sighed.

"Your first thought when you saw me, other than me being a total wreck," he commented, willing to see if she would say the same thing as she did while drunk. "And compared to the scumbag that hit on you, who is the one with the looks?" He asked in a challenging flirty tone.

"You duh," she remarked. "You're like ridiculous hot," she confessed, not even thinking about what she said.

"The hotness level goes both ways here, Onyx," he remarked with a smirk.

"Damn straight it does," she stated with a cringe. "I feel like we've had this conversation before. And did I mention something about you smelling delicious?" The thought randomly coming to mind now that the rest seemed to be cleared up.

"You did," he confirmed, not finding it funny this time around, not wanting make the matter worse for her. "This doesn't change anything, Onyx. We can still be friends."

"I know we can. I am not worried about that at all," she told him. He had made it clear that he wanted to be in a relationship with her, maybe it was time for her to be a bit more honest with him.

* * *

"You've been awfully quiet," he commented, after they were seated and ordered something to drink. Onyx getting a pomegranate green tea and Clint getting an Earl Grey tea.

"I've been thinking," she sighed, leaning forward. "About us, about having a sit down with Hunter and talking things through to get that closure so I can move on from him with you," she told him.

He couldn't contain the smile on his face at hearing that news. He did feel giddy at the prospect of getting the girl. As happy as he is, he knew it wasn't right for her; not after everything she had gone through with Hunter.

"Again Onyx, I don't want you to feel like you need to rush into a relationship with me. Take your time to fully move on from what you had with Hunter. You were with him for a year, that's a lot of your time spent with him, loving him. I don't want you to feel as if you need to rush into something with me, because of your friends. You need to know when the right time to move on is for you. Let yourself heal from the heartbreak," he told her, reaching across the table, placing his hand on top of hers. "We can wait as long as you need to," he assured her.

"Thank you," she told him, turning her hand over to hold hands with him. "I do want you to know that I want to be with you, that I like you as my friend and I want to try having a relationship with you, when I'm ready. But, I know not so deep down now, that I need to sit down with Hunter and have that chat with him. He cannot be a reason things don't happen between us and he is the only one that has the answers that I need," she sighed.

"I think it's a good idea," he told her. "If it helps you move past him than I'm all for it, because you don't deserve to live with the fear and pain he brought you," he said, pausing once their tea was brought out to them.

"Are you ready to order?" Their waitress asked.

"Yes," Onyx nodded. "I'll have the English French Toast," she ordered. Her order served with grilled breakfast potatoes Battered English muffins topped with whipped cream, bananas & strawberries. "And can we get a half order of chips and mad salsa?"

"Yes, you can," she nodded, writing it down. "Okay and for you sir?" The waitress asked, looking at him to write down his order.

"I will have the Mad Breakfast #3," he said. His food consisted of 2 eggs with bacon, and toast with strawberry butter.

"Would you like to add grilled breakfast potatoes? Or a bowl of fruit?" She asked.

"I think I'll add both options," he smiled.

"Okay, anything else?" She questioned. Onyx and Clint shared a look. Onyx shook her head no, Clint voicing that they wanted nothing else. "Alright, it'll be out in a few minutes," she informed them, walking off to put their order in.

"A little early for chips and salsa?" He inquired with a chuckle.

"It is never too early for chips and salsa," she fake gasped. "How dare you say that."

"Yeah, maybe if you're drunk or hungover," he retorted. Onyx laughed, nodding in agreement to what he said.

"Doesn't change the fact that it is never too early to have chips and salsa," she stated, picking a chip up and getting a hardy amount of salsa on her chip.

"Okay," he laughed shaking his head. "I get it. You have this affair with chips and salsa," he joked. Onyx rolled her eyes, tossing the last small bite of her chip at him. He laughed, catching the chip and tossing it in his mouth.

"Really?" She questioned feeling amused at his antics.

"What?" He laughed, grabbing a chip adding salsa to it.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Now who's having an affair with chips and salsa?" She teased.

"I blame you," he joked, popping the last of his chip in his mouth, getting an eye roll from the woman across from him. With things growing silent between them he figured it was best to bring up the conversation they were talking about before the waitress showed up to take their order. "Onyx, I want you to know that after your talk with Hunter, I'll be there if you need me," he let her know, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Their hands still laying on the table top interlaced.

"I know, but it is nice to be assured of that fact," she smiled. "How was your company?" She asked, suddenly becoming nervous because she didn't know who his company had been.

"Hanging with the guys?" He asked, his thumb stroking along her skin. "It was alright," he chuckled. "They wanted to fill me in on what I missed when they went out while I was in New York. It was nothing bad. What did you think it was about?"

"Nothing, as I didn't know who your company happened to be," she shrugged, taking a small drink of her tea.

He chuckled leaving it at that not wanting to press his luck anymore than he already has. He wanted to enjoy the morning with her now that the more serious conversation had been dealt with. He wanted to be free, to be himself. Around Onyx he got to be himself, with no judgement.

With brunch over with, and an argument over who would be paying the bill they decided on splitting the cost of their meal; they headed back to Clint's place for a few hours to figure out their game plan for the night; as Onyx did need to be home hours earlier than midnight, if she stood a chance of getting up early come morning. Even if that meant staying in at Clint's place watching horrible movies, which they made fun of while they slowly drank what beer Clint had. Ordering in when they couldn't find anything to cook until a little after 9 at night, so be it.

* * *

Unlike last week where she could sleep in until noon, today being Monday she needed to be down at the community center at least by a quarter to 8, to help the kids that not only needed the extra help but help the kids that wanted to keep a sharp mind over the summer months. The best perk is that Seb will be joining her at the community center. It's been something they've been doing for the past three years now, ever since they started to teach.

"Tell me you have coffee going?" She asked, sleepily walking into the kitchen, hearing Seb banging around more than seeing him.

"I have coffee that is done," he laughed, standing up. "It's moments like this that I remember how much of a morning person you are not," he chuckled, fixing her a cup of coffee.

"You my friend are a lifesaver," she grinned, blowing on her steaming cup of coffee. "I'm going to shower and get ready then we can go," she informed him, seeing him ready for the day. "What time did you get up this morning?" She asked, stopping short of the hallway.

"I've been up for the past hour. Now go get ready or we're going to be late," he ushered her off.

"I'm going, I'm going," she muttered, sipping on her coffee as she went.

With needing to get ready for the day the only time she looked at her phone had been to turn the alarm off. So while Seb drove them to the community center, since her car was still in the shop, she checked to see if she had any messages awaiting her.

'Enjoy your day of shaping the minds of the young.'

'Morning to you as well.' She quickly typed out, her smile now in place for the most of her morning.

'Did I forget to say that?' She snorted reading that part of his message. 'Morning, Onyx.'

"Don't even say it," Seb groaned, parking his car.

"Say what?" She laughed, putting her phone in her bag, leaving it on silent.

"Nothing," he said, turning the car off and pulling the keys from the ignition.

"Oh no, you can't pull that stunt with me Sebastian Smythe," she stated, leveling him with a glare. "You were all perky this morning and now you're a grumbling mess. Nothing is something and for once it has nothing to do with me. Now spill or we will be late because we will sit here until you tell me what's gotten into you," she warned him.

"I talked to Mikki this morning," he sighed, dropping his forehead to rest on the steering wheel.

"When is talking to your girlfriend a bad thing?" She questioned with a frown.

"When she declares that I must meet one of her brother's over lunch today," he filled her in with a fake smile on his face looking at his best friend.

"I see," she nodded, pushing her door open to get out of the car. Making sure to grab her belongs while Seb sat in the driver's seat bewildered.

"That's all you have to say?" He questioned, rushing after her, once he not only had his belongs but his car locked as well.

"Are you serious about Mikki?" Onyx asked, stopping short of the door. Seb nodded his head agreeing to that question. "Then you need to man up and meet her brother. It's logical, dude," she shrugged. "In order to move forward with Mikki you need to meet her family and vice versa."

"I hate you at times," he said, pulling the door open letting her go first. Everything she told him he knew he needed to do. He just didn't think he was ready to meet any of her family. He could do friends, but family is a whole nother level of being freaked out.

"I know and the feeling is mutual," she smiled, heading in the direction they needed to be going in.

* * *

Lunch approached sooner than either one thought it would. They kept pretty busy with the group of kids they had for the morning. With an hour until the next session started they sat outside, soaking up the sun, eating their food when Mikki approached with who Onyx could only assume is her brother. She did feel Seb tense up beside her on the bench.

"Miks, hi," Seb greeted, standing up to give his girlfriend a small kiss on the lips.

"Hi," Mikki smiled. "Hey, Onyx," she greeted, stepping back from her boyfriend, holding his hand, at seeing his nervous and anxious he is at meeting her brother.

"Hi. I'm going to go and let you three have this," she said, starting to pack her lunch up.

"Please don't," Mikki told her, getting Onyx to stop what she is doing. "You need to know my brother since you are so close with Sebby here," she smiled.

"If you're sure," Onyx said, looking to the brother. "I'm the best friend and roommate to your sister's boyfriend. If you couldn't tell I'm Onyx," she said, motioning to the name tag she wore.

"Nice to meet you," he said, holding his hand out. Onyx easily slipped her hand into his to shake. "Call me Artie," he smiled, turning his attention to Sebastian. "That makes you Sebastian, the boyfriend I've heard so much about."

"Yep that's me," Seb nodded, moving to shake his hand. Artie being a bit more forceful with this handshake this time around. "Call me Seb."

"Alright boys," Mikki said, motioning to a nearby picnic table. "Let's go sit at the picnic table and talk," she suggested.

The other three easily agreed moving the few feet to the picnic table to talk and learn more about each other. As the hour passed them by the atmosphere around them became more relaxed and Seb could say that he made a friend out of Artie.

* * *

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Onyx was ready to sleep the whole weekend away. The early mornings easily kicking her butt. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep until dinner time, but unfortunately she couldn't do that. She needed to go home change from the clothes she used for teaching, head to her brother's bar to help him out for the night as he was having problems finding a waitress to cover a shift for the night.

"You owe me big time," she stated, pointing at her brother behind the bar. "Is that all you need of me tonight?" She questioned, walking behind the counter, to giving him a hand. "Where is everyone?" She asked, getting the shots a customer asked for.

"Blaine is running late, Sam fell sick, and I've called Nick in to help out," he quickly explained. "I know I do," he confirmed.

"And your waitress, what happened to her?" She questioned, seeing Blaine rush into the place.

"She quit, so I get to find a new waitress," Jeff stated, nodding at Blaine. "I need you to cover the left side," he started.

Onyx groaned, but dived into her duties for the night. She paid no mind to who came or went, getting back into the groove of being a waitress once more.

Nearly an hour later saw Jeff on the small stage. She stood next to the bar waiting on the drinks Blaine was making up for her.

"I want to welcome all of you to the Starling Starlight," Jeff said gaining most of the attention in the bar. "Tonight felt like a good night to do a bit of karaoke or an open mic night. So if you want to sing or tell jokes, please come up," he stated. "Have a nice night everyone."

"I am not doing it," she hissed under her breath, walking past her brother, dropping off the drinks at the right tables, she head to the back to take a little break. _'Want a brother?'_ She messaged Clint.

 **'What happened?'**

 _'He needed help at the bar, and I was the one roped into working.'_ She sent him, watching Blaine enter the room she hid in. _'Oh and don't forget that he has made it karaoke/open mic night.'_

"You're needed again," Blaine told her with an apologetic smile on his face. "I know you'd rather be elsewhere tonight, but thank you for helping out."

"The thing is, I would do this any night. I'm not about to leave my brother and friends in the lurch when I can lend a helping hand," she smiled, walking past him. "I do expect to meet this girl of yours," she called over her shoulder, entering the fray of the bar.

* * *

Instead of replying back to Onyx's message, a plan formed in his mind, tired of sitting around and watching his friends get killed on the game they were playing he came up with a new plan of action.

"I am going out to get a drink and watch drunks mess up lyrics to old songs," he announced, pushing himself from the couch.

"We are in." The others agreed, getting things turned off.

It took them longer than normal with the high amount of traffic for a Friday night. When they made it to the bar, Clint was hoping that he hadn't missed his chance on watching Onyx perform, if she happened to cave.

Upon entering the bar, they took the first table they could find, a fairly good view of the stage, a smile on his face watching Onyx up there swaying to the beat of the music coming from her guitar. Her voice as stunning as the rest of her. Not paying attention to his friends.

 ** _For a second I feel guilty,_**

 ** _I'm sorry my love isn't strong enough_**

 ** _I need you to know that I want to love you in the same fashion that you love me_**

 ** _I need you to know that I need to love myself before I can love you the way you love me._**

 ** _You're the man I wish I could love, but I've got no love for myself_**

 ** _How can I love you the way you love me if I can't find my way to loving myself_**

 ** _I want to love you the way you love me, baby_**

 ** _But I can't love you if I don't love myself_**

 ** _Hold on to hope for me because one day I'll be ready to love you in every way_**

 ** _Let me find the love within myself for me and I'll be yours forever_**

 ** _I want to love you, love you_**

 ** _Let me love myself, love myself_**

 ** _And I'll be yours, all yours_**

"Who knew that you were hiding quite the talent," he spoke in her ear, getting her to shiver. He snuck up behind her while she put her guitar away.

"Anyone that knows me. Even you knew that I was in VA in 9th and 10th grade, you were in it with me," she stated, turning around. "Why'd you come?" She asked.

"To have a beer or two. To have a good time with friends. And now that I saw you perform, I have to wonder why you're not chasing that dream," he easily told her. "It's a shame I don't remember that time with you," he frowned slightly.

"It's a dream I don't want," she snapped, moving away from him. "I've got to get back to work. I might see you later."

"Stop by the table and you can meet my friends," he told her following after her.

"If I get time, if you're not in my section," she informed him, moving into the thick of the masses.

"Don't take it personal," Nick said grabbing a beer for him. "She gets worked up like that when her brother annoys her about getting up there and singing."

"Why doesn't she sing more often?" Clint questioned, leaning on the bar. She had the voice for it.

"That is something that you need to take up with her as it wouldn't be right to gossip about her," Nick stated. He wouldn't break the trust he has with Onyx. Not over this.

"She would be pissed about that," he chuckled. "Thanks for that," he said, taking his beer back to his table of friends.

"You'll never believe it," Vincent laughed.

"Believe what?" He asked, wondering what happened to be so amusing.

"Remember how we told you about the woman at the club that hurt poor Jason here by calling him all sorts of names?" Phillip asked, making sure he was on the same page.

"I remember that," he nodded. "She here or something?" He asked, looking around the table.

"Yes," they shouted in unison, Jason flipping them off.

"Dude why don't you get her over here so you can try again," Clint snickered.

"You?" They heard, turning their attention to the woman standing at the table.

"Me," Jason dryly laughed. "You," he said, taking a long pull off his beer.

"What am I missing here?" Clint asked looking between his friend and the woman he has feelings for.

"You're telling me that he is your friend?" Onyx questioned, looking down at Clint.

"Hold up," Dereck said. "How do you two know each other?"

"Guys this is Onyx," he introduced. "Onyx I would like you to meet Vinny, Dereck, Phillip and I'm guessing you already know Jason to an extent," he laughed softly.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you all," she said. "I think we got off on the wrong foot," she said looking at Jason.

"I am starting to believe we did. Though on the plus side, this is my perfect friend for you that I said would tame you, ironically enough," he chuckled.

"Where the hell did that comment come from?" Clint asked, looking at Jason. "And why would you say that to anyone?"

"Because I was being a bitch to him," Onyx shrugged. "And I did tell him that I would chew him up and feed him to the sharks."

"You do know that working means doing your job and not flirting with your boyfriend?" Jeff questioned annoyed.

"You do know that I don't work here and I am doing this as a favor because you are my brother. And I can leave when I want because you want to be an ass about things," she stated, turning to look at her brother.

"I know that," Jeff sighed. "It's just," he paused to take a deep breath. "We'll talk about this tomorrow over lunch?" He asked.

"If not sooner, Jeff. You are really scaring me right now," she told him.

"It's nothing to worry about it, our normal lunch spot?" He asked.

"Same time?" She questioned, getting a positive confirmation from Jeff. "We'll have to do this again when I'm not so busy. And feel free to go up and sing any song you want to sing whether it be for karaoke or original songs. You can tell jokes if you want," she told them.

"We'll keep that in mind," Dereck smiled.

"You'll let me know when you make it home?" Clint asked, stopping her for a moment.

"I can do that," she smiled. "And Clint," she said gaining his attention again. "I'm sorry about being so short with you earlier."

"It's fine," he promised her with a smile, watching her walk away. "I find it weird that you hit on the woman who is not only a friend, but one that I want to be dating," he nervously chuckled, turning to look at his friend.

"I didn't know she was yours," Jason stated. "If I did I wouldn't have hit on her. It is weird though," he agreed. "She is nicer when she isn't drunk," he laughed. "So she is your special someone, then?"

"Yes she is," he smiled.

"Someone is smitten," Phillip teased.

He took his friends teasing in stride. He did the same thing to them when they were crushing on their now girlfriend's/fiancée's. He reckoned it is his time for the teasing and he didn't mind a single bit.

 _'Home safe and sound.'_ Onyx texted him a few hours later, a selfie of herself cuddled under her blankets. _'Night Clint'_

 **'Night Onyx'** he quickly texted back, sending her a selfie as well with him in bed.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hey all, just a quick few things about this chapter. Firstly, it goes without saying that every relationship is different and that is something talked about within this chapter, when we see a two different relationships at play. Secondly, Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita who has given me permission to use her throughout my story and if you want to use her you do need to be talking to her. Onyx is mine and if you want to use her you need to ask permission. Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Care to enlighten me about your attitude last night?" Onyx asked, joining her brother with an iced coffee. The late morning quickly heating the day up.

"I thought we were meeting for lunch," Jeff laughed, stopping what he was doing, seeing his sister enter the quietness of the bar. "And not here," he said.

"I am curious and my morning is free, thought I would come in and help you go over the books," she shrugged, seeing what he had been busy doing upon her arrival.

"Maybe you shouldn't do that," Jeff sighed, dropping the pencil in hand. "Things aren't as great as they used to be," he confessed. "And the thing is I don't even care. I lost my passion for all of this," he sighed. The bar scene had been his passion since high school and he snuck into a bar with a fake ID. But now, he is growing tired of it all. Ready for something new in his life.

"So what are you going to do about it?" She asked. She didn't like seeing this place go because her brother had worked so hard on opening the place. But she didn't want him to be here if it meant he was going to be suffering everyday he worked. "What about Sam? Blaine? Not to forget about the others?"

"Sam is going to find work that gives him normal hours and not working all night," he told his sister, repeating what Sam told him the day prior. "Blaine actually wants to take this place over. Figured I would sell to him and he can do what he wants with the place. And the scary part is I don't know what I want to be doing, Onyx," he said being honest with her.

"You do need a job to keep your place," she told him sternly. "But other than that I support your decision to move on. I remember those summers where you wanted to be a radio DJ. Is that something you could see yourself doing?" Onyx asked.

"I could," he smiled. "Before I do anything with this place, I want to figure out if I do have a passion in something else and if I do want to be doing that," Jeff told her.

"Then go for it, Jeff. Only you can hold yourself back," she told him. "None of us want to be doing something that we don't enjoy doing. And like I have always been I am going to be here for you," she assured him.

"Thanks," he smiled, pushing the papers to the side. "That wasn't everything bothering me last night and even today really," he sighed, getting something to drink joining his sister.

"You're scaring me, Jeff," she told him. "What's going on? You're not sick or anything like that are you?" She asked him.

"No, my health is perfectly fine," he quickly assures his sister. "It's to do with Sugar," he said.

"What is going on with Sugar? I thought you two were doing really good?" She hasn't heard any different from Sugar. In fact this is the first time she has heard of any problems going on between Jeff and Sugar.

"We are," he nodded, easily confusing his sister, because she didn't see what was wrong with either one of them. "We had a pregnancy scare," he finally said, cluing his sister into one part of his problem.

"And here you and Seb are on me about protection, like all the time," she teased. "Obviously it was only a scare which is a good thing because you two haven't even been dating that long," she said, giving it some thought. "With what little time you've been dating each other, can you have a pregnancy scare?" She questioned, because it just wasn't adding up for her. She really didn't think that two weeks together would be enough time to have a pregnancy scare.

"It's not enough time but the father would have been her ex, because they hooked up one night two months ago," he explained. Onyx remembered that night. It was the end of the week and she couldn't go out because she had a meeting in the morning. But it was the night where Sugar saw her ex at the bar alone and they got to talking and things just went from there. "And it is good, but it has made me think about my relationship with her," he sighed. "I do think we need to slow things down, because neither one of us is ready for a responsibility like that."

"If that's how you feel, you need to be telling her these things," she stressed. "I do agree with you, Jeff. And I know Sugar will as well once you tell her all of this." Neither her brother nor Sugar were ready to bring a baby into their lives when they have only been dating a few weeks. And she didn't want to see something like this pull them apart and ruin what they had, because it could happen.

"I plan on it, but you are her best friend and I don't want to say the wrong thing and make her think that I want to break up with her," he sighed.

"If you tell her the same way you just told me, she won't think that at all, Jeff. And it is best to be blunt with her than to beat around the bush. Telling her how you feel shouldn't be as scary as you are making it out to be. She'll understand and I am certain that she is going to feel the same way as you on it," she easily told her brother.

"You think so?" Jeff questioned, playing with his glass, his water now gone. He didn't want to hurt Sugar's feelings, but he also didn't want them to be put in a place with a responsibility they weren't ready for. So for him slowing down the fast approach of their relationship is the logic answer for him. He wanted to be with Sugar, he liked her more than he thought possible when he fibbed and told his moms that he had a girlfriend. He wasn't about ready to mess that up by rushing into more than they could handle.

"I don't think so, I know so," she said. "I really do think Sugar is feeling the same way as you and slowing your relationship down is going to really save it in the long run, before you rush into something that can't be easily fixed," Onyx explained. "You worrying like this tells me that you like her enough to be careful of her feelings and that is a really good thing Jeff," she added on. This whole conversation is déjà vu to her from when she was back in high school and she needed her big brother.

"I do care for her feelings. I don't want to hurt her, that is the last thing that I want to be doing," he stated, leaning on the countertop. "You do know how grateful I am to have you as a sister, right?" He asked, pulling her in for a hug.

"And you do know that I feel the same way about you?" She asked back, hugging her brother back. Nothing could solve your problems like a hug from a sibling.

"I have come to learn that," he teased. "I am sorry for being that rude in front of Clint and his friends last night," he apologized. "You two being friends must be getting pretty serious, if you are meeting his friends," Jeff teased.

"Can you be serious friends?" She asked curiously, as it wasn't something she has ever really heard before.

"You know, I am not sure," Jeff laughed. "But things must be good between you two, right?" Jeff asked, not wanting to threaten anyone's life, he would do it to protect his little sister, no questions asked, unless she told him otherwise.

"They are good," she smiled. "There are times that I want to say hell with it and start dating him, and other times I can't do that because I have this whole mess with Hunter hanging over my head," she sighed, telling him the truth. It happened to be the first time she voiced said thoughts and she thought about talking with Seb, but she needed her brother at the moment.

"Why do you think that Hunter is hanging over head and haunting you in any future relationship?" Jeff asked, wanting to help her out the way he always did when she came to him.

"Because he hurt me by cheating on me," she said, biting the corner of her lip. "And I do feel like every guy after him is going to do the same thing and I can't take my heart getting broke again."

"If your heart can break it means it can be fixed," Jeff rattled off, getting Onyx to roll her eyes at him. "Not every guy is Hunter, Onyx."

"I know this," she sighed, licking her suddenly dry lips. "And at the moment I trust Clint, greatly. But I don't want things to change if I do date him, which at this point is inevitable."

"You are still planning on talking to Hunter, right?" He checked, wanting to make sure she hasn't changed her mind about talking to Hunter. He did think she needed to talk to him to move past it all.

"I am going to talk to Hunter later this afternoon. A talk that I am dreading, greatly," she confessed. "I don't want to fight with him and I have this feeling that fighting is going to be unavoidable at this point," she sighed.

"You have to remember to stay calm in the thick of it," he stated, giving her a very pointed look. "And if you want to move on with Clint, that is totally up to you."

"I know it is," she said. "But I don't want to move on too fast and ruin a good thing and I don't want to wait forever and never make that commitment either," she explained. "I was with Hunter for a year, and I just don't know when the right time to move on is," she told him. "There are days that I do feel ready, but days that I think I am rushing into everything and I don't want that. I want to be a hundred percent ready," she finished explaining.

"As much as I want to be the one to tell you that you are ready to move on from Hunter or telling you that you're not ready, I can't do that for the simple fact I am not you. As confusing as it all is for you, it will make sense and you will know the right time to move on from him. But Onyx there is nothing wrong with being single and enjoying being friends with Clint for the time being," Jeff assured her.

"I know," she smiled. "I hate that a broken heart is this hard to move on from," she sighed.

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but you are going to be stronger for going through this. And honestly, I didn't know that you were still feeling this way. You've covered it up so well," he told her.

"Really?" She asked, holding her cast up for him to see. "When did I seem like I was okay to you?"

"Obviously, you let yourself get the better of you and that is okay," he said. "But you haven't been moping around and instead acting as if it's been any other breakup," he explained.

"It's not any other breakup though," she frowned. "I have no reason to mope around. I know that I love Hunter and I don't think I will every stop loving him completely. Why should I waste my tears on him when he couldn't have the decency to consider me before hooking up with his new girlfriend?"

"Point taken," Jeff agreed. "If Hunter causes too much of a problem with you, let me know, please," he begged his sister.

"I will," she smiled. "And I really hope he doesn't give me too much trouble," she sighed. She is ready to have this talk with him, she just wasn't ready for the uncertainty that it would bring along with it as well or any lingering feelings that were going to be there. And as ready as she is, she doesn't know how she is going to feel when he reveals the reason behind his cheating. She's not ready for any of his words to hurt her. Not that she could be certain that her words wouldn't hurt him in the process of it all.

"When it comes to Hunter that is really hard to know," Jeff said, feeling for his sister in that moment.

"I do know that," she nodded, taking an extra long drink of her watered down iced coffee. "I think have your in if you still want to try your hand at being a radio DJ," she suggested.

"Who?" He questioned cautiously. Not all of his sisters contacts were people he wanted to associate with.

"You remember Rory?" She asked, getting a small nod. She rolled her eyes knowing he didn't remember him at all. "The guy I dated for two months before getting together with Hunter. The guy I brought to your St. Patrick's day party here at the bar. The Irish guy; does any of that remind you of him?"

"I remember the guy, Onyx," Jeff laughed. "I didn't realize you were still friends with him," he frowned.

"We are," she smiled. "I can talk to him and see if he is willing to help you out. That is, if you want me to, that is," she suggested. She wasn't about ready to step over any lines that Jeff didn't want her to be doing.

"It wouldn't hurt," Jeff smiles at the prospect of it.

"Give me a few days and I can talk to him and I can have him stop by the bar and you can talk to him."

The siblings spent the rest of the morning talking like they used to before she needed to head off to have her chat with Hunter. They did leave the bar to go to pizza joint for lunch, conversation never lacking between the siblings. Jeff dropping her off at Hunter's building, reminding her to call him of she needed a lift home and her brother.

* * *

She nervously knocked on his apartment door. It might just be that time to give him back the key he had trusted upon her within a few months of dating. A key she didn't need any longer, no matter what was to come once she was done talking with her ex. She didn't need to have a reminder of things she no longer had, instead she wanted to look forward to not only her future but what her present held for her.

"Onyx, hey," Hunter greeted. "I didn't know you were here," he commented, opening the door for her to enter. He knew that she would be coming over, she had sent him a text stating when she would be over. He didn't hear the buzzer go off to let her in.

"Uh yeah, hey," she said, holding his key out to him. "You can have this little gem back," she shrugged, moving further into his apartment, with the key firmly in his hand. An apartment she used to spend a lot of her time in, she did notice her suitcase by the door. "That my stuff?" She asked nodding to said suitcase.

"Yes," he nodded, pocketing the key she gave him. "I didn't have the heart to toss it out," he shrugged. He may have been heartless enough to cheat on her on their one year anniversary no less, but he didn't have the strength to toss her stuff in the trash. Even if he thought his stuff ended up in a burn pile somewhere.

"If you stop by the apartment tomorrow you can grab what I have of yours. I honestly didn't think to bring the stuff with me," she shrugged, moving to sit on his couch. "Bree not here?" She asked, looking around, seeing that nothing has changed in the last few weeks that she hasn't been around. Seeing no sign of Bree relaxed her greatly, as she wasn't looking forward to having any interactions with her.

"And here I was just thinking that you happened to burn my things. You and Sebastian having a good ol' time while doing so," he joked.

"I may have been tempted to do just that," she replied with a small laugh. "But no, they are in a box, safe from Seb," she let him know.

"That is good to know," he responded. "And no, she isn't here. Things with Bree didn't exactly work out," he said, joining her in the living room. "I do think that I need to take a few weeks and maybe work on me. And it's no big deal, I can easily stop by tomorrow as long as you make sure Seb isn't around. I don't think that I am the guys favorite person right about now," he let her know. And he didn't want to be getting into any fights with the guy over getting his things back. Sebastian had always been more of Onyx's friend than his friend, he never saw the appeal while kids but now that he had been her friend and dated her for a year, he really couldn't imagine his life without her in it in any shape or form. And he was the one to ruin their happily ever after so he would have to settle for being friends if she could forgive him.

"You are right about that," she nodded in agreement. As much as Seb wanted her to talk things out with Hunter he was still apprehensive about it all, not wanting him to hurt her worse. "Nothing wrong with taking time for you, Hunter." It is the same thing she is doing with regard to Clint. Not wanting anything she could potentially have with him ruined because she wasn't ready for it. "What exactly happened with Bree? You two seemed pretty close," she said softly, picking at the stupid ugly cast.

"Everything," Hunter sighed, running a hand through his hair, it was a matter he just didn't want to be going through with Onyx for various reasons. "How is the arm?" He asked nodding to the cast she sported.

"I go back in two weeks and it will be decided on then if I need to keep it on for another month or if it can come off," she shrugged, wanting the cast off now as she hated it. "Itches like hell," she commented, twisting her arm around, laughing softly at some of the things that were written from her friends and even Clint's friends before they left the bar last night. Not even mentioning the crude images drawn in places. Those would need to be covered again on Monday. "Not that it is anything new," she laughed, recalling her broken leg. One thing is for sure, having a broken arm is so much better than a broken leg.

"Your brother was pissed after that stunt on Jesse's bike. I really thought Jeff would get locked up for murder," Hunter chuckled.

"Jeff is a tad overprotective," she commented. "He would still beat you up if I told him too," she stated, eyes drifting away from her cast to elsewhere in the apartment.

"I figured that out," he nodded. "That was the only time I ever cheated on you, Onyx and I regret it greatly," he told her. "I am so sorry," he apologized. "I never set out to hurt you," he told her digging right in to what they needed to be talking about. His actions with Bree are his biggest regrets in life.

"You knew by hooking up with her that it was going to hurt me and you still went ahead and did it. Why didn't you just tell me that things weren't working out for you, Hunter?" She asked him.

"Is that why you think I cheated on you?" He asked, getting up and disappearing into his room, leaving Onyx alone for a few minutes while she hears him ruffling around in the bedroom.

"If that wasn't the reason than why did you cheat?" She questioned loudly, making sure he heard her question. What other reason could there be?

"Because I was feeling like you'd say no, when I asked you a question and presented this to you," he commented, thrusting a black velvet box into her face. She slowly took the box from him, her eyes wide, her mind screaming at her that it couldn't possibly be what it clearly is.

"What is this?" She asked, her mouth becoming dry at the prospect of what the box held as it grew heavy in her hand.

"Open and find out," he urged her on.

Slowly she lifted the lid of the box up to reveal a very gorgeous diamond engagement ring set in 14k white and yellow gold with a brilliant-cut center stone. With brilliant-cut accent diamonds.

"You cheated on me because you didn't think that I would marry you?" She asked, shutting the lid on the box, placing it on the coffee table. "Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"It is not that crazy. I had been trying for six months to get you to move in here with me and you always told me that it wasn't a good time. And to wait until after school was out. It always felt like you kept one foot out the door ready to run when you didn't like what we had going on. What else was I to think?" He asked her, his emotions starting to get the best of him.

"That I didn't want to move during the school year because I have enough going on with my classes that I didn't need to add more stress if I happened to lose things while moving," she stressed out. "If you had shown up for our anniversary dinner, you would have known that I was going to move in with you on the weeks that I had nothing planned before I started tutoring for the summer," she stated, getting up to pace. "I was all in with you, Hunter," she stated, shaking her head. She loved the guy, still loves him. There was no place she wanted to be then right there with him at all possible times.

"All in? It really screamed that you were all freaking in, Onyx," he laughed, shaking his head. "I swear there were times that Sebastian knew more about our relationship than I knew. How does that work?" He questioned her.

"You have lost it," she laughed. "Seb has never known more about our relationship than you did," she rolled her eyes. "I loved you, Hunter, heck I still love you," she let slip, falling into one of the few leather chairs he has in his living room. "And if for a second I thought things could work out between us, then maybe I would think about getting back together with you. But I can't trust you and all we can ever be again is friends." And being friends is going to be a long road.

"I've never stopped loving you," he said. "The main reason Bree left, she was such a huge reminder on what I did to you that I couldn't stand to look at her. Would I love to have another chance with you? I would be crazy not to. But you are right, I broke your trust in me and that is something that we can't move past." Onyx nodded in agreement.

"I never meant to make you think that I was only half into the relationship," she sighed, licking her lips. "Did I really only seem half into the relationship?" She asked.

"Not at first," Hunter said, shaking his head, finally taking a seat once more. "It wasn't until the last few months that you seemed detached and above the relationship. It really seemed like you were waiting for the other shoe to drop," he explained.

"I didn't even realize that I was doing it," she sighed. "That was never the case, Hunter. And I am sorry that I made you feel like that."

"It's honestly okay," he told her. "I am sorry about my behavior on the sidewalk, and in front of your moms. That was the old me rearing my ugly head."

"Yes, it was," she easily agreed. "I do appreciate it, Hunter. And now I am still feeling like an ass for making you feel like I wasn't in the relationship for the half of it," she said, not sure how she ever came across that way knowing for a fact that she did put Hunter first on many occasions. "But I will not take the fault for you cheating. On the day you were planning on asking me to marry you, after spending a year of our lives together, to me that still screams wrong on so many levels no matter the reasons why."

"Who in the hell is blaming you, Onyx?" Hunter asked, getting annoyed with her for even thinking that.

"No one is yet, but it will only be a matter of time before it falls onto me," she hissed out. "You cheating falls on you and not being man enough to tell her no."

"I take full responsibility for my actions, Onyx. Not that anything can ever be your fault, can it?" He questioned her with humorous laugh.

"And here is the ass that has gone nowhere," she sarcastically stated. "I take fault for a lot of things, when it is my doing. You are the one that felt insecure about our relationship so you had to jump the first female that gave you as much attention as Bree did."

"And you're not jumping at the bit with what's his face from the bar?" He shot back.

"Clint?" She questioned, getting the affirmative from Hunter. "He is a friend, who I happened to go to school with for two years. I have not slept with him."

"And you expect me to believe that?" He mocked laughed.

"Believe what you want, Hunter. I know the truth," she stated getting up. "I do wish you the best, Hunter. Come by around 3 to get your belongs." She wasn't entirely sure what she still had of his buried beneath things in her closet.

"As I wish you the best, Onyx," he sighed, getting the door for her once she had her suitcase.

"For the record, I would have said yes had you asked me instead of being balls deep inside Bree," she said solemnly, heading for the stairs.

It wasn't until she was outside on the sidewalk, realizing she didn't have a ride home. Without her car, that meant she either needed to take a bus, call a taxi, or call a friend as Hunter lived on the opposite side of town and she wasn't about ready to walk, as Jeff had dropped her off.

"You look like someone that could use a lift." She smiled, walking towards the car.

"How'd ya know?" She asked, getting the suitcase in the backseat before claiming the passenger seat.

"I didn't," he told her. "Ever since you told me what time you'd be talking to Hunter, I've been driving around the block every five minutes seeing if I missed you coming out, as I did park where I could see the front entrance," he cheekily replied.

"Stalker much?" She teased, buckling her seat belt.

"More like caring best friend," he playfully smirked. She rolled her eyes good naturally at him.

"Where would I be without you Sebastian Smythe?" She asked with a laugh.

"Lots of places," he laughed, driving them in the direction of home. "How was it?"

She told him every little detail about the time spent with Hunter, about what had been said. And how he would be stopping by tomorrow to get his stuff and how she would need him gone, not that she wanted to be kicking him out of his place but she didn't want a fight on her hands either.

"I'm sorry, Seb. But I do think you being gone when he shows up would be a benefit for all of us, as I don't need you to be saying the wrong thing to him and have a right break out," she explained to him.

"I am not leaving, Onyx. I will keep myself in my room while he gets his shit, but I will not appease him and make his life easier when he has made your life a living hell these past few weeks. It doesn't work that way," he commented, standing his ground.

"Okay, but you need to stay in your bedroom, unless I need you, got it?" She asked, accepting his terms over the terms Hunter wanted.

"Got it," Seb smiled. "Do you think your commitment issues with Hunter stems from your dad and his problems of going through wife's?" He asked, now that he had a chance to think it over coming to a stop sign.

"Why would it?" She asked. What her dad did with his life had no effect on any of her relationships. She didn't have a fear of her relationships ending because her dad couldn't make any of his last because he was quick to fall in love and even quicker to fall out of love. That wasn't her, she was careful who she fell in love with because of her dad's reputation with love.

"Think about it, Onyx," he prompted. "You were with him a year and he never got a key to our place even though he got a key for you; he asked you to move in countless times and yet you could never make that move; you've been hesitant to move forward with him because you have seen how fast any relationship can end because of your front row seat to your dad's ongoing problem with countless relationships."

"Huh, so it was obvious that I was half in the relationship with Hunter. I didn't see it," she told him with a deep sigh.

"You were blind, sweetie," Seb told her. "But think about it for a minute and I do think you will see that everything you saw your dad go through has put this damper on you falling into a love that can last," he told her pulling into his parking space.

"Maybe you are right," she conceded. It is something that she needed to think about, a lot more in a very serious manner. Seb may actually be onto something that she never thought about. And it wasn't just her dad's actions towards love that could be playing a part of her being afraid to move forward in any relationship, her mom could get marry to Lidia but yet they remain dating. "What if my parents love life ruined my love life?" She asked dead serious upon entering their home, scared of the notation of that prospect.

"Sweetie," Seb said, pulling her into hug. "That isn't the case, not entirely. You wanted to move forward with Hunter but in your own time and that is something that Hunter couldn't wait for or even understand. Maybe let your next boyfriend, Clint," he said with a smirk. "Know that you need to take your time and go at a pace that you are comfortable with. And he will respect you and the boundaries you put on the relationship."

"You make it sound like I am going out tomorrow after Hunter shows up to make Clint my new boyfriend. And that is not the case because I need to figure out me now that I have issues to deal with," she muttered.

"Honey, you've had issues since before we were friends. Your issues are going nowhere fast," he teased. She glared at him. "Onyx, take what time you need to move on from Hunter and fix you, I'm not rushing you through that process. I just want you to be happy and Clint makes you happy, a happy I haven't seen since Mason," he explained, squeezing her a bit harder in their hug.

"I was happy with Hunter," she protested. She wouldn't have been with him for a year if she was anything but happy.

"I'm not saying you weren't happy with him, just not overly happy, excited to see him, can't stop thinking about him, happy," he clarified.

"Is that the happy you get around Mikki?" She questioned him then. She needed to think about the happiness she felt with Hunter to the happiness she felt with Mason and see what the difference had been. Maybe she would take in consideration of the happy she felt for Clint as well.

"Like you wouldn't believe," he smiled goofily.


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter does see the mention of Mikki, who belongs to KikiJuanita and she can't be used without her permission as I have been given permission to use her for this story.** **Clint, Jeff, and Sebastian do belong to Glee and Ryan Murphy. Whereas the rest of them mentioned within this chapter do belong to me.** **The car mentioned within this chapter is all true facts stated around the car, and I know it may not be a car one drives everyday, but for this story it is.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"I get why you closed yourself off to everyone. It is something that you do when the time calls for it," Jeff told his sister, pulling out his keys to let them into the building. "But do you think Clint is going to be as understanding?" Jeff questioned, holding the door to his apartment building open, letting his sister enter before him, heading over to the elevator.

"We are friends and sometimes a person needs space and once I explain to him why, he'll be okay with it," she stated. She really hoped that he would be okay with everything and that she didn't ruin her friendship with him over needing a bit of space to figure herself out.

"What are you going to do if he doesn't want to see you?" Jeff asked, pressing the buttons for the two floors they needed.

"I'm not going to give up and I will bother him until he gets the point that he needs to hear me out and if he doesn't like what I have to say, I'll leave him be and never talk to him again," she sighed, not liking that possibility at all.

"You know where to find me if you need me," he told her. He never once enjoyed seeing his sister in pain, and he can easily say he still doesn't like her being in pain, and he will do whatever he can do to take that pain away.

"I know, Jeff and thanks," she told him, letting him get off on his floor. Jeff nodded, as the doors slid shut. The few minute ride to the next floor she spent stressing how the conversation was going to go in her head and every way turned out worse and worse. "Please be home," she said to herself, knocking on the door she needed.

"I wouldn't have guessed you'd show up at my door after two weeks of ignoring me," he said, pulling his door open, not looking pleased, letting her in. She figured he would be cold towards her, she did deserve it.

"I am sorry about that," she told him, stepping inside his apartment. "Something had been said and Seb verified that it was true and I needed to think about that and not have distractions. I didn't even talk to Seb, if I didn't have too," she explained.

"I thought we were friends, and now I am some distraction," he laughed dryly. "How does that work? Enlighten me, Onyx," he said.

"We are friends," she told him. "My dad has gone through countless marriages over the years. Everything that I witnessed with him and his relationships growing up, I have been projecting into my own relationships, not being fully committed and I needed to know why. I needed my space to understand it all because it wasn't something that I knew I had been doing and I don't want it to happen if we do get together," she told him.

"If we get together?" He smirked, getting her to roll her eyes. "I didn't know," he said softly, being the sweet, caring person she knew from night one of knowing him.

"I know you didn't. I don't go around saying how screwed up my family is," she laughed. "You're upset. I could have told you I needed a bit of space but I didn't, and I am sorry to make you think that this friendship was nothing," she apologized.

"It's fine," he shrugged.

"No it's not," Jason stated, making her jump. It is the first time she noticed that he has company over, feeling ashamed of putting all that out there for them to hear. "He thought you got back together with your ex and wanted nothing to do with him," he elaborated.

"Is that true?" Onyx asked him. Clint shrugged, giving nothing else away. "We talked, and he was going to propose to me, but instead he cheated because he was scared. I walked away knowing that the most I can ever be with him is friends," Onyx stated.

"If he had asked you to marry him instead of cheating on you, would you have said yes?" Clint asked lowly, afraid of hearing the answer.

"I would have said yes," she confirmed, she wasn't about to lie to sister his feelings. He deserved to know the truth. "But that doesn't mean things would have worked out, because I was informed that I was pulling away from him and already half out of the relationship," she shrugged. "And if he had the urge to cheat because he was scared I would turn him down; it is hard to say what else he would do. Things worked out for the best, and we can't always wonder about the what ifs," she finished.

"They don't do anything, but cause pain," Jason stated.

"Exactly. Best to move on," she stated. "Nothing good comes from worrying about the past."

"That's true," Clint agreed, not even needing to think about his own rocky past with his ex-girlfriends.

"Tell me you guys haven't ordered anything to eat," she pleaded, looking at the guys filling the living room. Now that she knew Clint was okay, and they could be friends again she's ready to put the next part of her plan into action.

"Not yet we haven't. We've been arguing over what to eat," Clint informed her. "But by all means make whatever you want," he smirked.

"Planned on it," she laughed. "You just need to come help carry bags up," she smirked.

"Why is that?" He asked while moving to slip his shoes on.

"You did want to see my car, did you not?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"I did," he laughed. "How much stuff are we talking about here?" He questioned, looking to his group of friends, who suddenly had their own little conversation going on.

"Not much at all," she replied, pulling his door open. "We can get it all," she assured him, walking from his place down the hall to the elevator.

Needless to say the trip to where her car is parked was done so in silence. And it wasn't a very comfortable silence at that. Onyx could tell that Clint wasn't very happy with her still. And he shouldn't be, not with the way she cut him out of her life for the past two weeks.

"I was wrong," she said, stopping short of the main entrance for the building. Clint stopped as well turning to look at the woman who is a friend to him, one that he might want more with one day soon. "I wasn't good company, not when I needed to sort out why I couldn't be in a relationship fully. I should have told you as much and not ignored you on every level possible. For that I am sorry, truly," she told him.

"It hurt to know that you wanted nothing to do with me. And I did think that maybe you wanted to be with Hunter again," he sighed. "It wasn't a fun feeling," he confirmed softly.

"What feeling is that?" She teased. "Jealousy?" She laughed. "I would have told you if I had got back with Hunter, but there just isn't anything there, not like there could be something here," she told him, motioning between them.

"I think so too," he smiled, ignoring the jealousy comment. "Now let's see this awesome car of yours," he joked.

"You won't be joking in a minute," she laughed, heading outside to the street, smiling seeing her car, happy to have her baby back.

"Is that a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda Convertible?" He asked, walking over to said car, done in a dark metallic purple.

"Yes it is," she laughed. "It was my dad's car, but he never drove it, and Jeff drove it until he left for college and I took over and never gave it up," she laughed. She found it hard to give up her car. Begging her dad to let her keep it. As long as she could pay for insurance and pay for gas and the rest of the maintenance she could have it. She worked extra hard to have her car.

"Only 12 of these models were made," he said running his hand over the smooth hood of the car. "Only 7 were shipped here to the states," he said in awe.

"I know the history of my car," she laughed. "I always thought Jeff would be back for it," she commented, unlocking a door to get the multiple bags of groceries out.

"Why didn't he?" He questioned, grabbing the bags she handed to him. If he had the car, he would have never given it up to any younger siblings, if he had any younger siblings.

"Because it wasn't truly his, I guess," she shrugged. "I never asked afraid he would say that he wanted the car back. I wouldn't risk it."

"I wouldn't either," he laughed. "I did let you drive my car, so that does mean I get to drive yours right?" He asked, pulling his key from his pocket to let them back inside.

"I don't know," she laughed. "My car is better than yours," she teased. "I don't think I can trust you behind the wheel," she stated a smirk on her face.

"Trust me?" He laughed. "I haven't been in an accident in over three years," he told her. "Can you say the same thing?" He questioned, holding the door to his apartment open for her to enter.

"I've been in accidents but I wasn't the one driving. And it's been years since I've been in any kind of an accident. The pristine condition of my car says so," she pointed out.

"Do the rest of us want to know?" Vincent questioned, all eyes on the two that entered the apartment.

"Her car," Clint started to say. "Is a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda Convertible. I want to drive it. So I am making my case," he explained.

"We'll line up after him," Phillip laughed.

"She's not even letting me drive it, what makes you think she'll let you lot?" He asked shaking his head at them.

"She's likes us better," Jason laughed. "We did have a moment while you were off in New York," he teased.

"Oh yeah, a very lovely moment it was," she sarcastically retorted, a smile on her lips. "And you did let me drive your car, so I'll let you take it out for a drive," she finally conceded, already knowing that she would be letting him drive her car.

"Sure it was, your drink didn't end up all over me," Jason chuckled.

"I didn't want to waste my money by doing it," she shrugged. "If it had been a cheap drink or one close by that didn't belong to me, you would've worn it," she shared.

"Ouch that hurts," Jason teased, placing a hand over his heart.

"Deal with it," Clint snorted, moving through to his living room, taking a seat on the sofa. "Do make yourself at home, Onyx," he tossed over his shoulder.

"Planned on it," she laughed, putting what she didn't need away. She easily got what she needed out of his cupboards, remembering where they were from the last time she made breakfast in his kitchen. "Why don't you guys invite your girlfriends or spouses over," she suggested, looking up from what she happened to be doing.

"They would love to invite them over," Clint smirked. "Right guys?" He asked, challenging them to deny that request.

"We would love to," Phillip retorted. "It's just that they have their own stuff going on tonight," he stated. The reason why they were hanging out with Clint is because he got kicked out of his place when his fiancée invited the others over to talk wedding stuff. "A rain check where you don't have to do all the cooking will be in order," he said, making the plans already.

"Okay, let me know when. And I really don't mind the cooking bit," she told them from the kitchen.

"She seems rather comfortable in your kitchen," Dereck commented with a smirk looking at his friend, placing his phone back in his pocket. Not wanting to risk his relationship by outing them in this manner.

"So what," he tossed out. "It isn't the first time she has used my kitchen," he shrugged. "Does it really matter?" He asked because to him it didn't make much difference if she knew her way around his kitchen. It wasn't all that hard to figure out where he kept his stuff.

"Did your ex ever make herself that at home here?" Phillip questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Clint glanced over at Onyx who seemed to be lost in her own world humming a tune of some sort under her breath. She did look more comfortable in his kitchen than he did at times.

"No she didn't, but I never lived in this apartment while I was dating her," he pointed out. "I still don't see the big deal," he commented.

"You should just ask her out already," Vinny stated shaking his head. "That's the big deal."

"I don't think it's the right time for that, considering that she just found out her ex planned on asking her to marry him," he quietly huffed out, getting annoyed with his friends. He knew they meant well, but he didn't need them meddling in his life.

"The situation is different, her ex burnt that bridge. You are clearly smitten with her considering you can't keep your eyes off of her, and she is smitten with you, if her cooking you dinner is anything to go by," Phillip smirked.

"Friends right now is the best thing for us," he said. "I want to be sure that everything will work in our favor and that she isn't hooked on her ex and what he did to her," he explained. He didn't want her to think that he would be the same way towards their relationship. He knew better than to cheat on her if he happened to be scared of an outcome for their future.

"Just don't wait too long where she puts you into the friend zone. We'd hate to see that happen," Dereck laughed out.

"She won't, she already knows that my intentions are to date her," he told them. "It's just waiting on her."

"Is she going to be your plus one to my wedding?" Phillip questioned a knowing smirk in place.

"I haven't asked her, so I can't say. But most likely I'll be flying solo that weekend. I really don't want to put her in an awkward place like that," he shrugged. He wanted to ask her, but the wedding was in two months time, and he didn't know what her plans were for the end of summer with needing to get ready for the upcoming school year. She may not have the time to attend a wedding out of state.

"Dude you need to take chances," Vinny told him. The other guys pretty much in agreeance with him. All except Dereck who entered the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?" He asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge, feeling guilty about her cooking a meal for so many people by herself.

"No, I am good," she smiled. "Thanks for the offer though," she told him. "Is it that bad in there that you need an escape?" She laughed.

"They are talking about the one topic I do want to avoid for now," he shrugged, leaning on the kitchen counter where space permitted. She raised an eyebrow at him, not saying a word. "Dating," he sighed.

"Why's that?" She asked. "You have a secret girlfriend or something?" She joked.

"How'd you know?" He asked, shocked that she figured it out that easily.

"I didn't," she laughed. "I had a secret relationship once and it didn't end on the best of notes," she told him. "It is best you go in there and tell them you have a girlfriend," she told him.

"Even if she is related to one of them?" He questioned. "How'd it end?"

"Jeff wouldn't talk to me for nearly three months and that killed me because my brother is one of my best friends," she told him. "Sebastian, he is my ultimate best friend," she explained not sure if he knew that about her. "And it took him a month and a half to talk to me again. The chick I was dating we still don't talk, because she did want to tell everyone but I knew how it would end. We dated for four months and once she told everyone about us we broke up," she finished with a shrug. "I was only 14 at the time, and she may have been 16, so there is that," she laughed.

"That might have had everything to do with it," Dereck chuckled.

"Not quite but close," she laughed. "But it is best to get it out there because hiding a relationship isn't the best thing and it does bring a lot of strain down on your shoulders."

"Are you in a secret relationship with Clint?" He asked with a teasing tone.

"No," she said, glancing at Clint. "I want to date him and when that does happen, when I am ready, I don't want any of it to be a secret," she smiled shyly.

"No hesitation in that answer is there?" He laughed. "You certain you want to be dating him?" He asked, moving away from the counter.

"I'm certain," she smiled, going with him to the living room, everything needs to cook without her standing over it all.

"What were you two gossiping about?" Clint asked, making room for her on the couch.

"He wanted advice about something," she shrugged. It wasn't her place to tell them about his secret relationship.

"It is good advice at that. And I don't want my relationship to turn out the way yours did. It would be tough if everyone stopped talking to me over a secret relationship," he explained.

"They had a right to be mad at me. I knew it would happen. They don't always turn out that way," she shrugged, wanting him to know that everyone reacts differently to the news of it.

"If this is about you dating, Chloe," Jason said, gaining the attention of the room. "She told me a month ago. And dude I'm cool with it," he told his friend. "Just don't hurt my sister, and we'll be cool for a long time to come," he warned.

"Why didn't you want to tell us?" Clint questioned, feeling hurt that his friend wouldn't tell him that he happened to be dating Chloe.

"I wanted to make sure that there was something between us before we made it public and I didn't want Jason to pummel me for dating his sister," he explained.

"I wouldn't have pummeled you for dating her. I wouldn't have been happy about it either if it wasn't for her insisting that she sees something in you and I know that you won't do anything stupid to hurt her. I just had to remember that," Jason explained.

"There is a thrill in having a secret relationship," Onyx stated with a shrug.

"You needed to have your secret she was 16 and you were 14, not exactly the best relationship out there," Dereck laughed.

"She was 15 when we started to date," she retorted. "That and she was my brothers ex-girlfriend," she chuckled. Now she can see the big deal in that relationship, but back then it was nothing to her and now she can see just how wrong it was for more than one reason.

"That is low to date his ex," Vinny stated. "Why would you do that?"

"I was curious about so much in life and I wanted to know more about me and be able to say who I am and not question my sexuality," she shrugged.

"I think you could have done so without it being your brother's ex," Clint laughed.

"It's not like they had just broken up. In fact, they had been broken up for a year, and he was in a relationship," she pointed out. "I saw no problem in it because it wasn't as if I was going to end up with her. It was more experimental than anything else," she stated. "Do I need to say that I was young and stupid?" She questioned with a laugh. "I thought it really didn't matter and standing here today, it doesn't matter. I have my brother in my life and I have Seb and those two guys are everything for me," she said, moving back to the kitchen with the timer going off.

"I guess it doesn't really matter now," Phillip commented. "You have your brother and what I'm guessing is your best friend in your life," he said.

"Oh yeah, that's her best friend," Clint replied. "And before you ask, dude is cool," he said, giving his friends a look to drop the questioning when it came to Sebastian. He would fill them in later. "Whatever you're making it smells really good," he commented, getting up. "You've gotta let me do something, Onyx. It is my place and I can't make you do everything," he said, walking into the kitchen, ignoring any of the looks his friends are shooting his direction.

"That would be lovely," she smiled. "Can you get the plates and stuff?" She asked, turning the oven off.

He nodded putting the plates at the table, going to find a couple extra chairs. It wasn't as if he minded eating in the living room as he has done it often enough but it felt right to eat at the kitchen table.

He didn't know which one was better the food or the company. He enjoyed seeing his friends get along with Onyx. He wasn't so sure they would after the meeting in the bar and after he pretty much threw her under the bus the last two weeks when she refused to talk to him.

With dinner over with he took up washing the dishes, his friends taking off for the night, leaving him alone with Onyx who escaped to his bedroom to call her brother.

"You don't have to stay," he commented hearing her behind him.

"And go home and deal with a date night with Mikki and Seb, yeah no thanks," she said shaking her head, rinsing the dish soap from the dishes and placing them in the dish drainer.

"It can't be that bad," he laughed, nudging her with his hip.

"You would think that," she stated. "I guess it's just that they are still discovering the love between them, and I am trying to get over love," she shrugged.

"You're not thinking that either one is going to hurt the other are you?" He asked, scrubbing at a more stubborn pan.

"No, Seb wouldn't do that and I may not know Mikki all that well, but it isn't something she would do," she replied. "I like their relationship, I just get tired of seeing them all mushy together," she shrugged.

"Mushy," he chuckled. "I get it. Your heart is still mending after it was broken, nothing wrong with that," he stated. He felt the same way after his break up. "When is it you are planning on going home?" He asked more curiously than anything else. He wasn't trying to kick her out.

"I hope your friends didn't give you too much trouble about everything between us," she told him, drying her hands off. "I've got a few hours to spare," she said.

"Nothing more than normal," he shrugged. "I'm used to it by now."

"Clint, I do want you to know that once I fully move on from the hurt Hunter put me through, I do want to give us a try. But you have to understand that a small part of me is always going to love Hunter and that once it all blows over I'm going to be friends with him. I want to be upfront with you about it all," she explained, needing him to understand where she is coming from.

"And you need to know that I'm right here waiting," he said, reaching out for her hand. "Just don't ignore me or at the very least let me know that you need a bit of space," he suggested.

"I am sorry about that, I didn't mean to hurt you. And lesson learnt, I will inform you as you're not my brother or Seb and you don't know these things like they do," she finished, leaning into him, lightly pressing her lips against his. "Now I'm thinking about a Back to the Future marathon," she said, walking into his living room, making herself at home on his couch.

"I do believe I forgave you halfway through that meal of baked Mac and cheese and pork," he chuckled. "I will forgive you even more once I get to drive your car," he chuckled, walking to put the movie in to play, sitting on what bit of space she left for him on the couch. His day turning out better now that Onyx is back in his life and not avoiding him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey all, Mikki belongs to KikiJaunita, and she has given me permission to use Mikki for this story. If you wish to use her, you need to ask permission. Onyx belongs to me as does the others that you don't recognize, the rest belong to Glee and RM. Enjoy!**

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"What the hell, Onyx?" Seb questioned, rubbing the back of his head, where she slapped him on her way past. "Where you lying in wait for me?" He asked a teasing note to his tone, wondering what is going on with his friend and why she happened to be so pissed off at him for. He didn't do anything wrong.

"Don't what the hell me," Onyx hissed, placing her hands on the counter to look at him across from it. "Who gave you the stupid right to invite everybody you talk to?" She angrily questioned him, willing her anger to simmer down.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he flatly told her. "For being a teacher you're rather horrendous on explaining the whole situation," he told her with a playful smirk, wanting to bring her anger down.

"You can shove it," she snapped. "I can't revoke the invite you gave to them," she sighed, burying her head in her hands for a second, taking a deep breath. "Why did you think that it would be a good idea to invite Clint and his friends along on our 4th of July? You do know it's not going to end good, right?" She asked him, trying her hardest to reign in her anger over the move that her best friend went ahead and pulled.

"Honestly?" Seb asked, moving to the living room to have a seat on the couch. "I wasn't thinking about the consequences that it would bring; I was thinking about the fact that he is your friend and that he didn't have any other plans for the day and I like seeing my best friend happy," he explained, watching her take a seat on the edge of a living room chair. "And I know that you like him more than a friend, but you're scared to be taking that step because of Hunter," he finished with a shrug.

"So what you thought it would be best to push me into a relationship with Clint?" She questioned him. "Because that will go over oh so well," she hissed, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I'm not pushing you into a relationship with Clint," Seb said, shaking his head. He knew better than to do something like that. "I'm pushing you into confronting your feelings for him." If he didn't do that move than she wouldn't ever do it, as she would push them away and lose the person that could be the one for her, if she didn't try. And he didn't want her to be second guessing herself after what she went through with Hunter.

"The last thing I need to be doing is confronting any feelings I have for anyone," she told him, shaking her head. "I need to be friends with him, until I know that I won't screw him over," she sighed. She didn't want to be hurting anyone in any way if she could help it. "And let's talk about Hunter for a moment here," she stated, a bit annoyed.

"What about Hunter?" Seb asked. "Thought we were all talked out of Hunter?"

"Until you went ahead and invited Clint and his friends to join us on Hunter's yacht for the day," she told him, rolling her eyes, curious to know how he forgot about that one little detail.

"Oh yeah, that one detail," he winced. "I am not going to say I am sorry for doing it," he told her point-blank. "You want to be friends with Hunter and this is how you are going to prove that; not only to you, but to everyone else as well. If you can get through one day with your ex and the possibility of a future boyfriend, than you know that you are completely and utterly free of the hold Hunter has on you," Seb stated matter-of-factly.

"I might actually agree with you on that, Sebastian, but I don't think it's a very good idea at all," she stated, rubbing her temples. "It's a bad move to be making and one that I don't agree on," she said, growing quiet for a few moments. "It's like inviting your latest ex-girlfriend to a date with you and Mikki," she said, looking at him. "It's not ideal to have them mix. You get where I am coming from don't you?" She asked with pleading eyes.

"I get it, because I would hate to be put in the predicament that I put you in with any of my exes and Mikki. And sure, maybe I was being a dick head when I went ahead and invited them without asking you first or even thinking about the consequences of it..."

"Ya think?" She snapped cutting him off. She was having a hard time in really getting over the move he had made, thinking it would be okay to pull such a stunt. "I don't get where your damn head was at, Sebastian."

"You're going to have to deal with it," Seb told her, getting up. He couldn't defend his actions any longer, because she wasn't going to see the bigger picture. And sure he shouldn't have done it, but it is done and she would have to make the most of it. He wasn't sorry that he had done it. Someone needed to be the bad guy and push her forward and no one else was going to do it, so it had to be him and quite frankly, he didn't mind one bit. "You can be the bad guy and uninvite him if you want too," Seb shrugged, heading to his room.

"Oh no," she yelled after him. "He'll be there and you will have to endure the hell that it will be and you best bet that it will be hell," she finished yelling, grabbing her purse and heading out, slamming the apartment door behind her. "Shit!" She cursed, walking down the hall to the stairwell.

* * *

"What has you so pissed off?" Jeff asked, leaving his apartment complex seeing his sister ready to enter the place, so he held the door open for her letting her in. Even though he is on his way out, he would always stop to check with his sister, if she came to him. He wouldn't turn her down in her time of need, like now.

"Not what, but whom," she said. "Best friends, suck royally," she stated, going to move past her brother.

"What happened?" Jeff asked with a sigh, preparing to shoot Sugar a quick text that he would be a few minutes late.

"Just be ready for a hellish 4th of July," she told him, heading to the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She needed to keep walking so she could walk her anger off. She didn't need to be directing her anger at the wrong party in this situation.

"Are you not going to tell me?" He questioned, following after his sister, dreading those few moments where he thought he would be okay if he didn't head out when he should have, thinking he had plenty of time, as the restaurant isn't that far away.

"Ever wondered how an ex and a potential boyfriend would fair if tossed together on a yacht in the middle of a lake?" She asked, pausing on the landing for the second floor.

"No," he said, shaking his head, leaving out any and all jokes, seeing that his sister wasn't in the joking mood and he didn't want to make things worse for her. Because he didn't want her wrath directed at him. "I wouldn't even want to think about the crap that would go on if Sugar would be put into that place, with any of my exes," he said with a shudder. It wouldn't end pretty for either Sugar or for him.

"Me either, but thanks to Seb, I don't have a choice in the matter and we all get to be witnesses to it," she informed him.

"I am going out on a limb and saying that Sebastian invited Clint to spend the day with us on your exes yacht," he commented, holding his breath, having a fairly good idea on what her answer is going to be.

"Ding, ding, ding, we've got a winner," she sarcastically told him. "You win a free showing on the 4th, when the bout takes place. Do place your bets ahead of time."

"Shit!" he muttered. "What are you going to do?" He questioned.

"I'm going to have a chat with Clint. I can't revoke the invite, but I can put that option in his hands, when I tell him the details surrounding the day," she told him. On the walk over that was the only thing that she could think of doing, leaving it in his hands on whether he wanted to show up to the docks tomorrow or if he wanted to figure something else out for the day. "I can't do anything else about it," she commented, continuing her trek up the stairs.

"Good luck, with it all," Jeff told her, agreeing with her, it would have to be placed in Clint's hands if he wanted to go or not. He walked down the stairs to call his girlfriend as he didn't send the text message to her. It would be easier to explain why he is late over a phone call.

"Onyx, I wasn't expecting you," Clint said, pulling his door open to let her enter his apartment. "You could've sent a text on what I need to bring," he chuckled, closing his door firmly.

"Nothing," she told him. "It's been sorted out weeks ago," she informed him. "Alcohol wouldn't hurt and I'm going to need a lot of it," she commented, sitting at his kitchen table. "And if you do show up, you're going to want a lot of it as well," she muttered.

"Why?" He asked slowly, joining her at the table. He could see something is bothering her.

"Sebastian shouldn't have invited you," she started to say, holding her hand up to cut him off. "It's not about me wanting you there or not," she stated, licking her lips. "The yacht we'll be on for the day belongs to Hunter," she informed him.

"Oh," he said. "I didn't know," he said shaking his head. "I don't have to be there," he told her. He wanted to make it easy for her. Not that one could really have it easy being around an ex.

"I'm leaving it up to you, Clint. We'll be meeting at the marina around 9, and if you're not there by 10, I know you're not coming," she shrugged.

"It'll be awkward if I come," he pointed out.

"It'll be awkward if you don't come," she retorted with. "I'll let you think it over," she told him, getting up. "I wanted to drop by before I go shop for a few last minute things I want to be bring with. And I did want to give you the information that Sebastian willingly left out. As he should have given you all the details before getting your answer."

"Either way it's going to be awkward, so let me go with and we can figure out something other than alcohol that I can bring," he smirked.

"You'd spend the day with my ex just to hang out with me, why?" She inquired, shocked by that revelation. She couldn't think of anyone that would willingly do that for her. Maybe it is time to sit down and really sort her feelings out for Clint as it is starting to be obvious that he liked her more than she thought she liked him.

"Because I enjoy being with you, Onyx. Is it that hard to believe?" He asked, checking to make sure that he had everything before leaving his home.

"No," she told him in a small voice. She liked that he is willing to do that for her, that he liked spending time with her despite the less than desirable circumstances. "Let's see what you can bring, that I was told no, because they can't stop you from bringing them for me," she smiled sweetly at him.

"Really now?" He chuckled, letting her exit before shutting and locking his door. "Is that what this is?" He asked, falling in step with her, going to the stairs. "The one sneaking all the food you weren't allowed to bring?"

"Yep, you get to be my very strong and gorgeous mule," she smirked, wrapping herself around his arm.

"At least I'm gorgeous," he chuckled.

Shopping with Clint, turned out to be more domesticated than she thought it would be. And much like the rest of them he told her no to the sweets that she wanted to bring along. Telling her it's more sugar than she needs to be eating, in one day. He did agree to bring some cookies and a few other things that she wanted, as she is the only one to really eat them, as no one wanted to bring them if they would be going to waste with her being the only one to eat them. They also got some vegan food so Jason would have something to eat. Clint knowing what it is that needs to be bought for his friend.

* * *

In the one day since Seb pissed her off, she still wasn't talking to her best friend, making that time even longer by ignoring him and being mad at him. She hated being that mad at him, but she couldn't easily forgive him. There is a good possibility that she is over reacting about it, but so be it, she has every right to be pissed about it. It's not an ideal place to put anyone in. If she was on better terms with Hunter than she is, she would be okay with what the stunt Sebastian pulled, but she's barely even friends with him. She didn't have a good feeling about any of this.

"Onyx, I don't know what else you want me to be saying," Seb sighed, waiting outside in the parking lot for Mikki to show up. Onyx shrugged, looking at her phone, to ignore her best friend. "You're just going to have to be mad at me, because I can't change what I did, but you'll see that it isn't that bad," he said. "And who knows maybe they will end up being friends by the end of the day," he laughed.

"Not funny," she snapped, looking over at him. "If it would be where I could leave or where Clint or Hunter could leave at any given time, it would have been okay to invite Clint and his friends along, but in the middle of a lake with nowhere to go if things turn bad, is just wrong on every level," she told him. "I would have never done something like this to you. I don't get why you felt the need to do it to me," she sighed.

"Because I didn't want to see you feeling horrible all day moping and watching every move Hunter makes today. If Clint is there, your attention won't be focused on your ex. And if it is, than maybe you need to be thinking about getting back together with your ex, because you still have some strong feelings for him," Seb explained.

"I'm over Hunter," she stated. "And I thought you were against me dating Hunter to begin with?" She questioned.

"I am against it," he nodded. "Onyx, I am all for you being happy," he stated. "And this is your best friend, pushing you towards your happiness whether it be Hunter or it's Clint," he said, seeing Mikki pulling into the parking lot.

She sighed, helping get things put into Mikki's car, after they had a proper hello. With everything packed into the car and neither Seb or Onyx, needing anything from their apartment they got into the car, the tension between Onyx and Seb filling the car.

"What am I missing here?" Mikki asked, glancing at her boyfriend from the corner of her eye and taking a look in the rear-view mirror at Onyx. She could tell that something had gone on between the two best friends. Knew last night when she talked to her boyfriend that they had a falling out, but her boyfriend wouldn't tell her what that falling out had been about.

"Has your best friend, ever invited your ex and current boyfriend or crush to spend the day together in a small space with no way to escape if things get bad?" Onyx questioned her, taking the lead before Seb could say a word.

"I can't say any of my friends have done anything of the sorts," she told Onyx, looking over at her boyfriend at a red light. "Is that what you did to Onyx?" Mikki questioned, turning back to make sure that light is still red.

"I did," he sighed, giving a nod. "It's not the big of deal," he said. "You're friends with Hunter and you're friends with Clint, you're not dating either one of them," he exasperated.

"Sweetie, it's not that simple," Mikki told him, the light turning green for her. "Your best friend's feelings are at play here and it was wrong of you to do this. Would you be okay if we went to dinner with your ex?" She checked. "Or one of the exes that I happen to be friends with?" Seb looked at his girlfriend, that would be a conversation for a later date, not that he minded who she happened to be friends with.

"It would be weird for the fact that I am not friends with any of them. And I'm not trying to be friends with any of them," he said. "Whereas Onyx, is remaining to be friends with Hunter," he pointed out.

"But I am not at the point where I am ready for him to meet the guy that I could replace him with," Onyx spoke up. "It just screams all levels of wrong. And the thing is you're not even sorry about it, Sebastian."

"You're not sorry about putting your best friend in this horrible predicament?" Mikki questioned.

"No, because someone needs to push her into making the choices that make her happy and I am all for being the person to do that," he responded. "This is just the first of awkward moments she is going to have if she wants to stay friends with Hunter and date other guys."

"Are you trying to make her get back with Hunter? Or are you trying to show her she shouldn't even be friends with an ex?" Mikki asked, pulling into the marina, looking for a parking space.

"I'm not doing either," Seb said, shaking his head. "I can't control what she does. I'm merely showing her what it is that she has to look forward to."

"It's wrong of you," Mikki told him. "I side with Onyx on this one," Mikki informed them, parking her car. "You shouldn't have done it. It is up to Onyx when she is comfortable in her friendship with Hunter to have him and any boyfriend to hang out and not up to you, Seb. You shouldn't be pushing her into something she isn't ready for," Mikki said, putting the car into park and turning the engine off.

"Your girlfriend gets it, take a few hints from her, Sebastian," Onyx said, exiting the vehicle. She grabbed what she could carry and headed to where Hunter's yacht would be docked at. She needed to have a word with him before Clint and his friends were to arrive.

"Onyx, you don't how happy I am that you still came today," Hunter smiled, climbing down to help her with the stuff she had.

"This is the part where we can be friends and as weird as it is going to be, I couldn't pass it up, because it wouldn't do either one of us any good," she told him. "And I should warn you that Seb did a horrible bonehead thing and invited Clint and his friends along for the day," she sighed, ripping that band-aid right off.

"Clint?" He questioned, the name not ringing any bells in his head.

"The guy I have been hanging out with. He's the one that I have been with the last few times we've ran into each other in the street," she explained. "The guy I was with at the bar the night we broke up," she told him with a wince, seeing it register on his face as well.

"Ah, that guy," he grimaced. "I guess at this point, it is what it is," he said with a small nod. "And maybe I should make my apologies to him," Hunter told her.

"It would mean a lot to me, Hunter," Onyx smiled. It took a load off knowing that Hunter would at least try to get along with Clint for her. It did show her that maybe she could be friends with Hunter after everything they have been through.

"It's the least I can do, Onyx," he said. "You really like this guy don't you?" Hunter questioned, getting things set up, Onyx quick to help him.

"I think so," she smiled. "I'm figuring it out."

"What are you figuring out?" She heard her brother ask from behind her. She turned around to answer him, seeing he wasn't alone. Not only was Sugar, Seb and Mikki with him, but so was Clint and his friends. "As you can see I picked up some stragglers," he laughed.

"I see," she said. "And uh it's nothing," she waved it off. She tensed up slightly feeling Hunter slip his arm around her shoulders.

"That's not true at all," Hunter smirked. "She's trying to figure her feelings out for a certain someone," he said. Onyx looking over to see Clint. He had his jaw clenched shut, his eyes did hold a playfully glint to them at Hunter's words.

"Enough from you," Onyx said, jabbing him in the gut with her elbow, moving away from him. "I'm going to show these boys around," she said. "Mikki, Sugar care to join us?" Onyx questioned.

"They'll get the private tour later," Jeff laughed, moving to get things put away.

"That is something that I agree with your brother on," Seb chuckled, following after Jeff.

It took her very little time showing them where everything happened to be at on the yacht and soon enough they were back with the rest of them, ready to head out onto the open water, finding the perfect spot to set up for the day.

"I am sorry about all of this," Onyx told Clint sitting with him a bit away from the others as they mingled about now that they had anchored down. "Nothing is going on with Hunter, I swear it," she told him, knowing how he reacted the last time thinking something more was going on between her and Hunter.

"I'm not worried about it. I can't lie and say that I didn't want to deck him, when he had his hands all over you, but you're trying to be friends with him and it was done so in a more friendly way than him claiming you as his," he sighed.

"Is that what you want to do?" She asked, getting a confused look from him. "Claim me as yours?" She teased.

"I don't know how to answer that question without scaring you off," he told her.

"Then I will take that as a yes," she laughed, moving closer to him.

"Damn straight I do," he growled in her ear. He wanted her douche of an ex to know what he messed up and that because of that he chased her right into his arms. There were times that he wanted to say the hell with it and ask Onyx out, but he would remember that she wasn't ready for it and he didn't want to push her away. He could wait.

"Maybe later," she giggled, moving away from him, to mingle with her friends, casting looks back at him from time to time.

She found throughout the day that she stayed close to Clint, never letting him leave her sight longer than a few minutes at a time. With the sun and the amount of alcohol she had consumed, she is feeling the effects of it getting to her and she really wanted to be below deck but she did see her best friend and his girlfriend head down there over 20 minutes ago and there was no way she was going near the entrance to go below deck. She thought about jumping into the water as well, but she really didn't want, as she hadn't been on the boat for more than 15 minutes after climbing out of the water after spending plenty of time goofing off in the water with her friends.

"Where'd your friend go?" She asked, looking at Phillip and turning her attention to her brother. "And your friend?"

"I believe they ran off together," Jeff laughed. Onyx groaned, she didn't like that idea at all. "Onyx, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Are you serious?" Onyx laughed. "A fight, blood everywhere," she said. "Why didn't any of you guys stop them?" Her eyes looking at everyone standing around her.

"It didn't seem like our place," Vinny shrugged. "And Clint knows that if he wants to stay in your good graces that he won't start a fight with anyone today," he tacked on. That didn't make her feel any better at all. She knew that Hunter could egg anyone on and make them strike first.

"There they are," Dereck pointed out. She looked behind her seeing that for the most part they looked fine. Looking closer you could see that both guys were a bit tense. She didn't like that at all, making her way over to them.

"Everything okay over here?" She asked, standing closer to Clint than to Hunter.

"Yep," Hunter replied, walking off. She looked at Clint.

Clint said nothing, placing his hand on the small of her back moving her away from prying eyes and into some much-needed shade for her. She remained quiet, waiting for him to say whatever he had on his mind after his talk with her ex. She really didn't think any of it could be good.

"I don't like him, and I don't think I will ever like him, after he hurt you the way he did," Clint said. "But he did apologize and it doesn't mean much to me. And I know how much it would mean to you, that is why I let it go and agreed to try for the benefit of you," he told her.

"It means a lot to me, Clint. I don't expect you to run out and be best friends with him or even friends with him. But getting along with him for the sake of me, is enough to warm my little heart," she smiled. "So thank you."

"No, thanks required," he smiled, pulling her in for a hug. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her mad at him. "I do think that you have a friend to make amends with, because he did have your best interest at heart here," Clint told her.

"I don't know how," Onyx retorted, resting her head against his shoulder.

"It's showed most of us, if not all of us, that the most you want with Hunter is a friendship, as you haven't really paid him any attention unless you have to. And not to be an arrogant ass here, but you haven't been far from me the whole day, so it does show that you have more feelings for me than for your ex," Clint explained a smug smirk on his face. "And don't in Onyx fashion, try to deny it," he warned.

"You know as well as my brother and best friend," she laughed pulling away. "And it is what he said too," she sighed, pulling him down to have his forehead rest against hers. "His plan worked, so he is forgiven, even if he doesn't know it," she said.

"And what plan is that?" Clint asked a smirk on his lips, a hopeful look in his hazel eyes.

"That I like you more than a friend," she confessed, pressing her lips against his for a soft kiss. Clint quick to kiss her back, deepening the connection between them.

They both pulled away from each other, smiling at each other. She really didn't know what it was going to mean for them moving forward. She still didn't know if was ready to have a full on relationship with him or anyone for that matter, but her feelings for him were strong. It is something she needs to work out on her own. And it is something that Clint is okay with as long as he gets to keep kissing her. That is something she doesn't have a problem with.

They were so wrapped up in each other, in that moment, that didn't notice the bright colorful lights of red, orange, green and various other colors, bursting above them. It wasn't the show they were most interested in, not when they were coming to an understanding about moving forward an inch or two in their relationship.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Like always, Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita, and you need to be asking her permission to be using Mikki if you so do wish to use her. If you do so wish to use Onyx, please do ask me first. Enjoy._**

* * *

Having woken up far too early after spending the night out longer than she should have, she rolled out of bed, and went around the corner to get breakfast for herself and for Seb as he deserved an apology for her behavior as he wasn't setting out to hurt her, but rather to help her out when it came to what she should do when it came to Clint.

She had went with Clint not wanting to be a third wheel with Mikki and Seb. And instead of Clint dropping her off at her place, they stayed out, driving to where they could better see the stars lighting the midnight sky up for their enjoyment as they pointed out the few constellations they knew. They called it a night in the early hours of the morning, spending quite sometime parked in front of her place, locked together.

When she had finally made it inside, she paid no attention to her surroundings instead going straight to her room, knowing it was by far too late to be waking Seb up for a pathetic little I'm sorry I acted so crazy chat, she would go to sleep and have a better conversation about the things he shouldn't be doing when it came to her life come morning.

Getting his favorite breakfast, would be the right start to that much needed conversation. Not knowing if Mikki happened to be around, she got something that she thought the girlfriend of her best friend might like, before making the short stroll back to her home. She placed the food on the kitchen table, seeing a small bag by the door, she smiled, picking the lone and forgotten bag up and walked into her best friend's room with a smirk on her face.

"Could you I don't know, knock?" Seb asked, pulling the blanket up around his still sleeping girlfriend. "We've been over this, Onyx, privacy is key," he pointed out, checking on his sleeping girlfriend.

"What would the fun of that be?" She asked with a smirk, going over to his dresser, moving things around to free up a drawer. It wasn't as it he had anything to hide, often washing his clothes with hers over the years of being friends. And she knew where he kept everything as she used a few of them as well, Seb not caring. As it is better to remain safe.

"A lot of fun, considering you could have walked in on something that you shouldn't be seeing," he hissed, keeping his voice low, not wanting to wake his girlfriend up.

"I don't know what you're so embarrassed about, it's not like I haven't done it before," she said rolling her eyes. "And dude the walls are super thin so I can hear," she laughed. "So seeing you two go at it wouldn't be much different."

"Don't remind me," he dryly said. Not even wanting to think about the times Onyx kept him awake before her relationship with Hunter, the two years she was single and brought back different guys over the many weekends. He did help them leave if they were still around in the morning, he enjoyed scaring them off more than he should have.

"For the sake of our friendship, I'll knock from now on," she told him. "When did you get so uptight?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"So help me, Onyx," he groaned. "Can we do this elsewhere and not where my girlfriend is sleeping?" He asked, trying to maneuver his way from the bed.

"No need, said girlfriend has been awake and heard the whole exchange," Mikki said, blinking her eyes open to get the sleep from them. "And babe, you have a lock on your door for a reason," she told him. "Use it next time," she stated. "But you should really knock, as it's not right," Mikki told Onyx, looking over at her. "And what are you doing?" She asked.

"Giving Sebastian a push, like he pushed me," she smirked. "Now you don't need to bring a bag every time you spend the night here," she smiled sweetly, showing Mikki the empty drawer for her, she wasn't about to ruffle through Mikki's personal belongs. "No thanks needed," she said, walking to the door. "I bought breakfast," she announced walking out the door making sure to shut it behind her.

"What are you up too, Onyx?" Seb asked, exiting his room while slipping a shirt on as he walked into the living room. "What was with that stunt? Is that your pay back for what I did to you?" He asked, sitting down at the table with her.

"Where's Mikki?" Onyx asked, handing him the food she bought for him. "And it's not pay back," she sighed, playing with her cup of coffee. "I'm sorry I acted like a brat about the whole thing. But you do know what you did was wrong, right?" She asked, watching the smirk come out. It wasn't often she admitted defeat like she is doing now. She couldn't be mad at him when things turned out right with her and Clint at least in the right direction.

"She's giving us a few moments," he informed her, unwrapping his food. "I know it was wrong and I should have talked to you first and I am sorry about putting you in a situation like that," he told her.

"I appreciate that," she smiled. "And thank you for the push, though I didn't really need it," she warned.

"I take it things are good with you and them?" He asked, referring to Hunter and Clint.

"I think things are good with Hunter, I haven't really talked to him to know how he feels after the stunt you pulled," she informed him with a shrug. "And things with Clint are really good," she smiled. "We don't have a label for what we are, as I'm not ready for that, but what we have is nice," she smiled blushing lightly.

"See? I did the right thing," Seb boosted. "This does mean you've forgiven me right?" He asked with a pout. The worst thing about it all had been having his best friend mad at him as that hadn't been his intentions at all. He doesn't set out to intentionally hurt her or to make her mad at him. Fighting with his best is never ideal.

"That may be so, but dude, this isn't high school and you can't be worrying about me and fixing my problems unless I ask you to do that," Onyx stressed for him. "You have that amazing girlfriend in there to be worrying about and showing her how much you care for her. You don't have time to be pushing me when you need to be pushing yourself with Mikki," she told him. "I forgive you, I forgave you last night," she smiled keeping the rest of the information to herself as he really didn't need to be knowing about when she forgave him and what she had been doing.

"Is that why you gave Mikki one of my drawers?" He asked. Onyx nodded. "You know I've been wanting to do that for a few weeks now?" He questioned with a laugh. Everytime he tried to say something or ask Mikki about it, he chickened out. It wasn't about moving too fast with her but rather he didn't know if they were ready for something like that. But ultimately they were and it was about making that jump and having his best friend do it for him may have been a cop out on his part; he wasn't going to take it back.

"I figured as much," Onyx laughed. "Seb, you don't need to worry about me, because if I need your help with anything I am going to come to you and ask for said help. But you need to focus on your life and if at any point you think I need a push, talk to me about it and not come up with some half brained scam to push me further into something."

"I promise I won't push you into anything without talking to you about it first," he told her, that is something that he can do, as it is her life and he shouldn't be the one meddling in it even if it is for her own good, he needs to be letting her figure it all out with very little commentary from him. "And I will worry less about you and worry more about my relationship with Mikki," he promised.

"I know how hard it is for you to say that, but thank you," Onyx told him. "I would hate for something to happen between you and Mikki and be the blame for it," she said. In all of his relationships, the only one she had ever pulled for is the one he is currently in, as she brings out the best of him and doesn't nag him like the rest of them have. It helps that she isn't insecure of her relationship with him when it comes to who he happens to be friends with.

"You wouldn't be at blame, Onyx," Mikki said entering the room. "You can't be at blame for something if it isn't your fault. As that would land solely on Seb's shoulders," she explained, squeezing her boyfriend's shoulders as she went past him. "And babe you don't need to be worrying about our relationship because we are fine and if you want the drawer back you can have it back, as that isn't something Onyx should have done," Mikki said, looking pointedly at Onyx.

"Yes it is," Seb said, sticking up for his friend's actions. "I've wanted to do that for the past few weeks and I didn't have the nerve to do it. The drawer is yours, if you want it, the same with the new toothbrush in the bathroom," Seb said, taking his girlfriend's hand.

"I want it," she smiled, leaning over to kiss her boyfriend. "Even if you needed that help from your friend," she laughed.

"She did do it the way it should have been," Seb laughed. "I must say that I do feel sorry for what I am getting Clint into," he smirked, looking over at his friend. "Is it too late to save him?" He teased.

"I don't think he'll be sorry about it at all," Onyx smirked back at her friend. "I think he'll rather enjoy it," she laughed. She did have a feeling that he knew exactly what he was getting into when it came to her. It wasn't as if she had been shying away from who she is around him. If she couldn't be herself around him, what was the point in trying to be with him? She wasn't about to change herself to make anyone like her. "You scare him off, and I'll just be home more," she pointed.

"And with Onyx home more often think about the amazing things we could be doing, but we can't because like your friend said, you're a bit uptight with her around," Mikki smirked, slipping into her boyfriend's lap.

"I'll be going now," Onyx said. "And if you don't want to smell like a guy, do feel free to use any of my stuff in the bathroom that you don't have with you. I really don't mind," Onyx offered, cleaning her mess up.

"You really do like my girlfriend," Seb teased. For him it still felt weird for her to be okay with his girlfriend and not declaring war with her for some stupid reason or another. Her fighting with his girlfriends had become such a norm that her getting along with Mikki, scared him just a bit, because they have been friends for so long, that if there happened to be something that he didn't want her to know, she could easily ask Onyx, and he knows without a doubt that Onyx will tell her, getting all the payback she wanted on him.

"I would be stupid to dislike the one woman besides your mom, to keep you in line," she stated. "I might actually like her more than you," Onyx smirked, going to her room, to figure out what she wanted to be doing with her day off.

* * *

"Now I can see why my brother is ready to move on from the bar business," Onyx joked, entering the building she had been given the address to. "Karaoke in a jazz club?" She asked, walking to the area Clint happened to be at, fixing up the stage.

"We didn't see a place like it around this area," he shrugged. "Figured it wouldn't hurt," he smiled, looking over at her. "And no it's not karaoke," he told her. "The plan is to find a live jazz band." They had done their research and found that there wasn't a jazz club around this area. The ones closest to them happened to be on the opposite side of the city.

"No such luck huh?" She teased.

"No, not really," he sighed, the select few bands that they have auditioned didn't fit what they were looking for. "There isn't much to it right now," he said looking around the empty building, artificial light being used as the windows happened to be boarded up.

"I don't mind," she waved it off. "It's just nice to see what you do for your job," she smiled. They talked about what he did, getting a degree in business. He kept this project close to home. He didn't give away to many details about the club. She didn't mind as this is his baby, and she didn't need to know any detail about what he was doing. It didn't concern her as they are friends.

"I do have a question for you," he slowly told her, walking to where she stood. He knew her reaction wasn't going to be a good one, given the way she acted towards her brother the night she filled in at the bar.

"Yeah and what's that?" She asked, slipping her hands up his chest and around his neck locking her hands in place.

"The night you sang at your brother's bar, I asked Nick why you didn't sing," he confessed, cutting her off from saying anything, holding his pointer finger over her lips. "He wouldn't tell me why and really I didn't want him to tell me because it should be you," he explained. "So will you tell me why you're not going after a career in the music industry?" He questioned, resting his hands on her waist.

"Why does it matter?" She asked, breaking her hold on him.

"Because you're amazing and I would like for you to sing here on opening night," he told her with a sigh.

"Just because I'm amazing doesn't mean it's what I love doing. And I can't," she told him shaking her head. "I owe so much to Jeff that it was easy for him to guilt trip me into doing it for him," she stated, moving to the door ready to walk out.

"Tell me why and I'll leave it be, Onyx. Explain it so I understand, as you sang in high school, what happened to that passion?" Clint inquired, making her stop at the door.

"Because after being pushed toward a passion I didn't want to pursue I quit singing, I stopped playing the guitar and there is nothing that will make me pick it up longer than once every few years," she told him."You were in VA, but yet you didn't chase after that dream. I'm very pleased with the career that I have taken. Getting up anywhere to singing isn't going to change that."

"I guess that's true, the passion we have in high school fades for some people," he sighed. It faded for him so he can see why Onyx feels that way as well.

"I've had so many people in my life tell me that I need to make a go at singing, but VA and the new directions were for fun. Broadway isn't for me like your sister and Seb's brother. Sure performing for sold out shows would be amazing yet it's not what I want to do and it would be nice for you to respect that," she pleaded with him.

"I do respect that, Onyx. I won't make you do anything that you don't want to do. I won't push you into a career that you don't need because I can see how important and how much you enjoy what you do. I'm sorry for making you think otherwise," he apologized, closing the distance between them.

"I forgive you," she smiled softly, lightly pecking his lips. "If you get a band and need someone to sing opening night, I'll do it," she caved. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to be doing.

"You will?" He checked, having a hard time keeping the smile from his face.

"Under one condition," she stated, seeing his smile falter. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting to see what this condition of hers happened to be. "You need to be up there with me for half the set," she smirked. "And don't even tell me it's not possible, because I know it is. My brother has a bar, and I know all your buddies are going to be here for opening night," she smirked.

"I'm going to get busy on finding that house band," he laughed. It couldn't be that bad to sing with her and it could be fun. "And seeing as I have zero choice in this, I'm in," he smiled, his lips sealing the deal.

It wasn't until her phone made noise indicating a text message came through that they put a halt to their make-out session. She smiled apologetic at him, taking a look at her phone. _The Luxury? 2?_

 **I'll be there.** She quickly replied, seeing that she had no time to waste in getting half way across town. "I'm really sorry, but I've got this meeting I need to be at," she told him, kissing his cheek. "Dinner?" She asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, letting her go. "Let me know when you're on your way," he told her.

"Will do," she promised, squinting when she walked through the door into the bright afternoon sun light.

* * *

"Sorry," Onyx quickly apologized, joining her lunch date at the picnic table he occupied, turns out traffic and red stop lights weren't on her side. "How'd ya know?" She laughed seeing the sandwich and fries waiting for her.

"No need to apologize," he laughed. "Onyx, I know you and this is very much you," he stated, standing up to hug and kiss her cheek lightly.

"It's scary to know how well you know me," she laughed taking her seat at the picnic table ready to dig into her food.

"We were friends before and after we dated those two months, I can remember things," he pointed out with a smile. "Just like I know this isn't a friendly little lunch date between friends. So what is it you're fishing for?" He questioned with a smirk.

"Scary," she laughed, taking a sip of the locally crafted beer. "It's about Jeff," she told him. "You remember my brother, don't you?"

"How can I forget?" He inquired. "But I don't get what I have to do with your brother. He owns a bar I work as a radio DJ," he commented. "Is he getting married?"

"No," she told him, shaking her head. "He's thinking about selling the bar and going into work as a radio DJ and I figured you'd help me out. See if that is something that he wants to be doing," she explained, picking a fry up.

"I can't give a definite answer to you now, Onyx," he said. "I've got to talk to a few people at the station and see what can be done," he informed her.

"Thank you," she said, leaning over to hug him. "Give me your phone," she demanded. "I'm giving you Jeff's number so I don't have to play middle woman," she explained to a very hesitant Rory.

"And here I figured you'd want to go through my phone for personal information," he teased.

"Are you telling me that you've found the one?" She inquired, typing Jeff's information into his phone.

"I have," he blushed. "Have you? Things with Hunter still going strong?"

"As friends," she sighed. "Has it been that long since we've last talked?" She asked rhetorically as she already knew the last time they talked had been months ago. She gave him the cliff note version of her breakup with Hunter. "There is someone else. I want to be careful and not screw it up."

"Don't you know, that if you screw it up and they're still there when you go back that you didn't really screw anything up and they're willing to move past it because they love you?" He questioned with a cheeky smile.

"No," she simply told him. "I've never thought about it that way," she frowned. "I don't want to take that chance, Ror," she said.

"You really like him?" He prompted with a smile.

"I'm starting to feel a lot for him, and I feel guilty after the short period of the disaster with Hunter."

"Hey now," Rory chastised her. "There is never a right time to move on from an ex no matter the damage they've caused. You are the only one to know when you're ready to fully jump into a relationship and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"When you put it that way," she laughed. "I will keep that in mind and thanks for that advice," she smiled. "I think Seb has been trying to telling me the same thing," she laughed.

"You're a stubborn one," he laughed. "And you're welcome, Onyx. For all of it."

They continued to talk over lunch, Onyx getting a bit more information out of him about his girlfriend before they parted ways.

She frowned sitting in her car before she moved from her parking spot when Clint wouldn't answer his phone. **Want to hang before dinner?** She texted him. She tossed her phone into the passenger seat, making the drive home as she would just walk to Clint's place as it is nice out.

 _Rain check? Hanging with the guys_. She frowned reading his reply. She didn't get it, because they had made plans for dinner and he seemed to be on board with it all and never once had he canceled on her.

 **Sure.** She sent back, getting out of her car. She would ask him later about it.

"Sorry," she said, entering the apartment to see Mikki and Seb snuggled on the couch together watching a movie. "You honestly won't even know I'm here," she said, going to move past them.

"What happened?" Seb questioned, getting his friend to stop. "I thought you were spending the day and having dinner with Clint?" He couldn't piece together any fallout that they could have had over the morning hours going deep into the afternoon, nearing into evening territory. He didn't want to think that she caused any problems with Clint, with how things seemed to be going for her. He couldn't help but think like that, knowing his friend as good as he did.

"For whatever reason he decided to cancel and hang with his friends," she shrugged, what did it matter to her for? She couldn't even label what she had with him at this time. She figured at some point he would get fed up with her. "I had to meet with Rory to ask him a favor for Jeff. And when I told Clint I needed to go he was totally cool with it so that isn't the reason," she warned, before he could accuse of her doing anything to warrant Clint canceling on her. As much as his canceling on her hurt and she should just leave it be, she wasn't going to do that, because she really want to make an effort and clear the air between them and figure out what was going on. And it could very well be nothing and he made plans with his friends, she wouldn't blame him or be mad at him over it.

"I'm sure you'll get the answers to why when you talk to Clint next," Mikki said, cutting her boyfriend off before he could say anything stupid to piss his friend off. "Why don't I call a friend up and we can have a friendly little game night? she suggested.

"I'm down for that," Onyx agreed, slipping off to her room, shutting the door and turning some music on, to give the couple a few more minutes of some privacy as her intentions weren't to intrude on their little day together.

"Are you coming to play?" Seb questioned, sticking his head into her room, turning her stereo off; opting for the radio over the music on her phone, while she read.

"Yep," she said, tossing the book she had been reading on her bed after marking her spot. "What game are we playing?" She asked, following her friend to the living room.

"We are waiting on you before we decide," Seb informed her.

"You must be Mikki's friend," Onyx said, approaching one guy in the room she didn't know, he had darker skin with jet black hair.

"Mike," he laughed, holding his hand out for Onyx. "And you're Seb's best friend and roomie, Onyx," he stated with a smirk, having got the rundown from Mikki a few weeks ago.

"In the flesh," she laughed, shaking his hand. "I don't know about you, but I think we need to team up to take out the best friends," she suggested, casting a glance in Mikki and Seb's direction.

"I'm down with that," Mike easily agreed. "You two okay with that?" He asked, getting nods from both Seb and Mikki. "Cool," he grinned, taking his seat once more. "What games are we choosing from?" He asked.

"Heads up or That's what she said," Seb commented, holding both games up.

"What happened to normal games like Pictionary or a good ol' game of monopoly?" Onyx asked, sitting on the edge of a chair.

"You despise Pictionary and tossed the game in the trash when you were 15 calling the game stupid, and none of us have brought the game out in your presence since," Seb told her.

"In my defense it is a stupid game," she grumbled.

"And the last time we played Monopoly we played while into the later hours of morning and called it because you don't quit and I don't either," shrugged Seb.

"So playing games that end sooner rather than later happen to be for the best," Mikki stated. "As we do have work tomorrow morning."

"Okay, then let's go with heads up. Phone or cards?" Onyx asked. She really didn't want to head to her room to get her phone, instead slipping Seb's phone from the coffee table, unlocking his phone with ease. "Really? I thought you were changing that?" She asked with a laugh.

"And have you changed yours?" Seb asked with a smirk knowing there was a good chance that she hadn't done so yet.

"Have you been in my phone recently?" She asked, finding the Heads Up game on his phone. She saw no use of changing her password for her phone as it wouldn't take long for Seb to know what she changed it to as there isn't anything on her phone to hide from him or anyone in general as long as they stayed out of her messages. "Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who goes first?" She asked, looking at Seb.

"I'll battle Mike; winner decides what team goes first," Mikki announced.

"Best out of five," said Mike, getting ready to face off against his friend.

"Deal," Mikki agreed. "And no cheating," she warned, making a fist to play the game.

After an interesting and drawn out battle of the game, Mikki was declared the winner, opting to go last. Onyx and Mike were okay with that as they flew through the TV shows they were given in the time limit, doing better then Mikki and Seb.

They had played the game for a few hours, stopping to order food. They all put in for it. With the break in game play Onyx headed to her room to check her phone to see if she had any missed messages or phone calls. She had none. She shrugged, heading back out to the living room, giving very little thought to what had got into Clint, because her night turned out to be a pretty good one.

"I am sorry about this morning and barging in there and forcing the drawer upon you in any fashion, but I needed to prove to Seb that he needs to respect boundaries because it's not fun when friends overstep," Onyx explained to Mikki while the guys were sharing a laugh.

"I get it," Mikki nodded. "I do think you could have went about it differently, because Seb needed to be taught a lesson," she agreed. "And I highly recommend that you don't do anything like that again. I get Seb is your best friend, but he is my boyfriend and just like you don't like people messing with your relationship, I don't either," she stated.

"I know," Onyx nodded lightly. "Truly, I'm sorry, and nothing of the sorts will happen again, unless I'm asked," she promised.

"Apology accepted," Mikki smiled. "You could have taught him a lesson by telling me how he got that small scar on his hip. I ask, and he ends up looking like a ripe tomato," Mikki laughed.

"As fun as that story would be in sharing, I can't tell you," Onyx sighed. "That needs to be on him." It wasn't that simple. And she wouldn't do that to her friend. "Less serious stories might be on the table," Onyx laughed.

"I respect that," Mikki smiled.

"How'd you two become friends?" Mike inquired, when Mikki and Onyx joined them in the living room. Onyx and Seb shared a look with each other, recalling the day they had became friends.

"I do believe she was using me to get at her brother," Seb laughed, raising an eyebrow at Onyx. "I found out, and I was mad at her for like a week, and it was miserable and I had to make up with her," he smiled, he couldn't fathom an life without Onyx as his best friend.

"You have to know that Seb and Jeff have known each other since they were kids, always going to school together, and competing for the better grades in class," Onyx explained, she was sure they fought over girls as well, the one aspect she didn't pay much attention too. "And when I was 13, I spent the day at the mall with Jeff and a group of his friends, and he was ordered to keep an eye on me. An hour into being bored to death of doing things that Jeff wants to do, in walks Seb by himself and he starts in on Jeff..."

"Did you forget that I was minding my own business and Jeff was the one to start crap with me?" Seb questioned.

"Either way, Seb made this comment about Jeff and I didn't like it because no one can say shit about my brother and get away with it," Onyx said. "I flew off at him for saying it. Jeff was laughing behind me and by the time the last word flew through my mouth, Seb was laughing," she shrugged.

"I made a comment back, and she laughed," Seb smiled.

"And knowing how pissed my brother would be at me, I decided that I wanted to spend a few hours with Seb. At first I was using him, but before an hour was up, I saw that Seb was this amazing person and it wasn't about wanting to be his friend, I had this need to be his friend and we have been ever since," she smiled at her friend. "The best of friends."

"That we have," Seb smiled.

"When did you come clean to Seb about using him?" Mikki asked, not really liking that fact, as she couldn't see why Onyx would even think about pulling a stunt like that on Seb. He is such a good guy that she couldn't see why anyone would want to hurt him.

"Like a year and half into your friendship. I couldn't take this guilt over how we became friends, and I knew that I couldn't keep that from him. And I was scared that he wouldn't want to be friends any longer, that's why I didn't tell him sooner, but I had to tell him and let him make that choice for himself," she explained.

"It gave us a clean slate. And it wasn't about getting one over on Jeff, but just being friends and being ourselves with each other," Seb added on. "How'd you two meet and become friends?" He asked, referring to Mike and Mikki.

"Next door neighbors," Mikki told them.

"And that's saying something because they own a ranch, so next door neighbors was like a mile apart," Mike laughed.

"But we made it work, it helped that in the summer he would spend a lot of time at the ranch helping me with what chores I had so we could hang out in town with our group of friends or have this lazy day this pot hole of a lake on the ranch," Mikki laughed. "Make sure to remind me when we go visit my family," she said, looking at her boyfriend. Onyx could tell that something about that didn't sit quite right with her best friend and she would be having a talk with him about it.

"Fun times," Mike commented with a laugh. "I'm sure you guys had quite a few of those moments as well," he suggested, looking between Seb and Onyx.

"By far more than we should have had," Onyx laughed. "But we've had our fall outs too, because we're not perfect and we disagreed on a lot of things," she frowned, remembering those times more than she wished she would.

"Not fun," Seb sighed. "Did you guys experience that?"

"We did," Mike answered with a nod. "More so when relationships were involved. That's why this is nice, as your friendship with Onyx is the same as the friendship I have with Mikki where I see her more as a sister than anything else," he commented.

"The annoying little sister I never asked for," Seb laughed.

"Screw you, dude," Onyx retorted all while wearing a smile on her face.

"Someone tell me they've been keeping score," Mikki commented, gaining the attention of the other three, ready to get back to playing the game.

The group of four shared looks as they burst out laughing. Leave it to them to forget about keeping score on the rounds of games they've been playing.


	13. Chapter 13

"What happened with spending the day with Onyx?" Jason asked, meeting up with his friend. He had nothing planned, so getting out to spend some time with his friend wasn't unwanted, but he really thought he would be busy spending time with Onyx while he worked on getting the jazz club set up some more. That had been what he was told the night before hand, when his offer had been turned down to come out and help him get things fixed up. As he really didn't want to be playing the part of the third wheel.

"She had some sort of meeting," Clint shrugged. He hadn't been given the details of her meeting and he did trust her, that is something that he isn't worried about. And if he needed to know the details of the meeting, she would have told him. "Don't give me that look," Clint warned.

"What look?" Jason asked with a small chuckle.

"The look where you act all concerned for no reason at all," Clint told him. He didn't need anyone to be concerned for him; he wasn't rushing into anything with Onyx, as she wouldn't let him, not that he wanted to rush and screw everything up. He wanted to take his time to get to know her. He didn't want this thing with Onyx to end because they didn't take the time to build the foundation to build upon.

"I am concerned about you," Jason told him. "I may not have gotten on with Onyx, and she's a cool chick and all, but I think you've gotten ahead of yourself when it comes to her. What do you know about her, really?" Jason asked. He wasn't trying to run Onyx through the mud, as he has come to like her after getting to know her after that fateful night of him hitting on her, but he was trying to look out for his friend as he didn't seem to be doing it himself.

"Plenty," Clint responded. "I get your concern, but there is no need for it," he replied. "Are the others coming?" He asked, ready to be talking about anything other than what his relationship with Onyx happened to be.

"They can't make it on such short notice, as they all have plans they would rather not break," Jason told him. Clint got that and he didn't mind. He wouldn't have canceled his plans if given the choice either, as he would rather hang out with Onyx and learn more about her than do find trouble with his friends, when they've done plenty of that in the past. "What's the plan here?" Jason asked. He didn't mind the walk along the river walk to talk with his friend, but it would be nice to take a break along the way to wet his whistle.

"I figured we'd take a stroll along the river walk and grab a beer at _**The Luxury**_ , if that is good with you," Clint suggested. It was one of his more favorite spots to stop along the river walk.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jason agreed, with a head nod. "We need to be getting a move on with planning Phillip's bachelor party. Any ideas?" He questioned. The wedding was over a month away, and they hadn't even talked about the possibility of what they were going to be doing for a bachelor party for their friend. They have had the better part of a year to get a move on, yet they procrastinated about it and they were running out of time rather fast.

"I've been thinking about it," Clint nodded. "I don't we should do the whole cliché Vegas thing," he informed his friend. To him going to Vegas is played out, as so many people go there, and he thought about going to Atlantic City, but they didn't scream Phillip to him. "I was thinking that we sit down and take a look at the music festivals for the end of the month, beginning of August and make a weekend out of it," he shared, it was their shared love of music that brought them together, and they can go to any music festival and have the time of their life, without the strippers, because he wasn't going to be on the end of the wrath from his friend's fiancée.

"That could be fun," Jason nodded, thinking it over. "We'd still be able to get hammered off our ass's," he laughed. There wouldn't be any worry about any of them ending up married to some random stranger, because they were all too drunk to stop anyone from going through with it.

"That's a perk," Clint laughed, coming to sudden halt. He had to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. "That is Onyx, right?" He asked, his eyes trained her.

"You'd be correct," Jason agreed, leaning against the bridge. "She's awfully flirty for a meeting," he stated, watching the interactions between the two of them. "What exactly was this meeting of hers for?"

"My thoughts exactly," Clint said through clenched teeth, watching as the guy handed over his phone. What they had between them came with no labels, but he didn't think she would be out, chatting it up with some other guy, and lying about it all. "She didn't say, I thought it was no big deal, but I guess I was wrong on that account," he said, his anger starting to rise within himself.

"Maybe we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves here," Jason told him. "We can go over there and see what's going on. I hardly doubt she would care if we did that," he tried to tell his friend. The last thing he wanted was for Clint to be sulking around because he didn't confront Onyx, like he should be doing.

"I think it's clear what's going on," Clint spewed out, he didn't need Onyx to tell him what she was doing. He could see that this meeting was a cover up for a date. "And two can play that game." If she wanted to be other going on dates with other guys, he could go out and do the same thing, fair is fair.

"I don't think it's a game," Jason tried to reason with him. Sighing heavily through his nose watching as Onyx hugged and kissed the mystery guy on the cheek.

"Apparently, it's nothing," Clint said, stalking off, his friend hot on his heels. He got that he was overreacting to what he witnessed, but he felt betrayed seeing her acting all close and flirty with a different guy. When it took him for what felt like forever to get that close to her, even if it was only about a month of his time. And now it might just be over with. If she wanted things to be like that, why couldn't he do the same?

"I think it's best if we talk to Onyx," Jason told him again. He hated seeing his friend looking so deceived. He truly believed that there was more to it than what they were seeing, he needed for his friend to see it like that as well.

"I think, no scratch that, I know I don't want to be seeing her right now," Clint snapped. He didn't want his anger to get the best of him. Part of him wanted to believe that there was nothing going on and they were being friendly, but he had never met him before and he thought he knew most of, if not all of her friends, or even heard about them. The one she was with today, she hadn't mentioned before.

"I think it's a mistake," Jason told him.

"Then you go talk to her," Clint seethed out, tired of his friend telling him what he should be doing. _'Want to hang before dinner?_ _'_ "Seriously?" He muttered, shaking his head.

"It will give you the chance to figure out what that was back there," Jason told him, catching a glimpse of the message.

"Except we're going to the club tonight," Clint shrugged. **'Rain check? Hanging with the guys.'**

"I'll get the rest of them to join us," Jason reluctantly agreed.

"Good," Clint replied, getting in his car. "Ya know for someone dead set against me being with her, you sure are on her side a lot in this. What gives?" Clint asked, unlocking his car doors.

"I'm not against your relationship with her. I can see how she makes you feel, I just want you to be happy and not end up hurt like before," Jason stressed.

"Look how that turned out," Clint snapped.

"And do you think that you're jumping to conclusions here?" Jason sighed. "I think you need to get her side of the story and learn the truth there before running off and doing anything stupid," he told his friend. Clint remaining mute. "Think long and hard if Onyx would be cheating on you and we both know that is how she would feel," he pointed out, walking the short distance to his car.

Clint got into his car, buckling up and starting it. And maybe his friend is right about Onyx, but it wouldn't be cheating as they're not a couple. And asking her to explain what her meeting was about only to hear the very real possibility of it being a date, wasn't something he wanted to be hearing. He headed home to get ready for the night ahead of himself and do what he could to forget about what he saw with Onyx. He would talk to her when he felt like it. He wanted the answers to what her so called meeting happened to be about, but for now, he felt it best to stay away from it all until he cooled down where he could have a level headed conversation with her.

He tossed his phone onto his couch reading her reply of _'Sure._ _'_ Moving through to his room to figure out what he would be wearing and getting a shower in. Tonight would be about hanging with his friends and not stressing over what he is going through with Onyx, she needed to remain in the far back corner of his mind.

* * *

"I feel like we should intervene," Vinny said, watching their friend on the dance floor, getting rather close to a few random women, pushing the limits with one of them in particular. "Or something."

The night started out well, with them sitting around and sharing laughs as they drank, but the more they drank the more restless Clint started to become and it wasn't long before a woman had came up and stole Clint away to the dance floor, where he has been for the better part of the last hour.

"I've tried, several times," Jason said, swallowing his mouthful of beer. "He's not in the listening mood."

"Do we even know the real story when it comes to Onyx?" Derrick questioned. "For all we know, it really could have been a meeting with someone that she is close to. It's not like she was out there hooking up with the poor guy," he stressed.

"You don't have to tell me," Jason sighed, shaking his head. "I was there and I get where wires were crossed when it comes to those two, but he didn't want to listen to reason, it's almost like he's trying to find a way out. To sabotage this thing, he has going with her," he sighed, rubbing his temple, feeling a small headache coming on.

"We all know he's not been the most level headed guy around when he sees red," Phillip pointed out. "Or rational for that matter," he tacked on.

"That doesn't mean we let him make a choice that he is going to regret come morning," Vinny stressed out.

"I think he needs to come to the realization on his own," Jason replied. He would stop his friend if he could, but there was no stopping him once his mind had been made up about something.

"Tonight's been fun," Clint told them, joining his friends, his arm draped over the red-head he had been getting close to all night. "But I'm calling it a night," he informed them, walking off, leaving his friends shaking their heads at his actions.

Once outside, he got the woman into a cab. His actions of going back to her place, it wasn't for him, not until he could get things resolved with Onyx first. He couldn't be the guy to go out and get it from somewhere else, when he didn't know what the real story happened to be. Going through with this would mean that he gave up everything he had going with Onyx, and that wasn't a risk he wanted to be taking. Despite what it looked like earlier in the day, he wouldn't be another one that cheated on her, if you could call it that, but he knew that was the way she would see it and he wasn't willing to hurt in that way.

* * *

"Is there a reason you're sitting outside my door?" Clint asked, coming to a stop seeing Onyx sitting on the floor next to his apartment door.

"Dude, you've been ignoring me for the past week. I had to do something to make you talk to me," Onyx replied. "What did I do to make you go all rogue on me?" She questioned getting to her feet. She couldn't say sorry if she didn't what she did to piss him off.

"I haven't been ignoring you," he said weakly. He couldn't argue against her. He had no valid point as he had been ignoring her. "Why aren't you with your boyfriend?" He quipped out, unlocking his door.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, confused on what he was talking about. She thought they were moving in the right direction. That within the right amount of time that he would be her boyfriend, she had no intentions of dating any other guy, not when Clint had been the main guy in her life that didn't involve Seb or her brother.

"Playing stupid doesn't suit you," he retorted, stepping into his apartment. "Come back when you're ready to admit that this thing between us is nothing more than you biding your time," he said, shutting and locking his door.

"Clint, let's talk about this," she sighed, her head falling against the door with a thud. "Shit," she cursed, hearing no noise from inside the apartment. She reclaimed her spot on the floor next to his door. She couldn't make amends if she didn't know what she did wrong.

"Is there a reason you're stalking my friend?" Jason asked, leaning on the wall across from her. He is surprised and even relieved to see her trying to make an effort on fixing things with his friend, only if he could get that point across to the stubborn friend of his.

"I get he is your friend and whatnot, but other than that why do you care?" She asked politely. She wasn't being mean about it, but out of his little group of friends, Jason had been the one she hadn't really clicked with, not like the others. And she wanted to think that him hitting on her that night at the bar might have been the thing standing in their way on building a better friendship.

"Because I know how much he cares about you and the second he thinks he's making progress you're out on a lunch date, which you told him was nothing more than a meeting. I don't want to see him hurt if I can help it," Jason told her.

"I didn't want to believe that had been what this is about," she sighed. "And as much as I would enjoy explaining that situation to you. I need to tell him first. But you need to believe me that it was nothing more than a meeting," she stressed.

"I want to believe you, Onyx. I really do. But you have hurt him twice now. I can't see him go through that again," Jason sighed, standing up.

"Please," she begged getting to her feet. "Help me. I swear I didn't mean to hurt him either time. I'm not lying about my meeting with Rory. Help me, and you will see," she pleaded with him.

"Okay," he relented. "But this is for his benefit," he warned, knocking on his friends door. "Dude, it's Jay," he said.

"You're welcome, but she's not," he said, a few minutes later, opening the door.

"I am not okay with that," Jay said, gently pushing Onyx into the apartment before him. "I am sick of this pouty, pissed off thing you have going on. The only way to sort this out, is to hear her out," Jason pointed out, giving his friend no room to disagree with his statement.

"Fine, what's the excuse you're going to go with, Onyx?" Clint asked, leaning against the back of his couch.

"It was a meeting," she told him. "I have dated Rory in the past for like two months, before I dated Hunter, but nothing happened between the two of us, we went on a few dates, and learned that we are better off as friends," she quickly explained to him. "We were friends before and we are friends now," she stressed, not giving him a chance to say anything. "You know Jeff is selling the bar wanting to do something else?" She questioned, feeling as if she isn't getting anywhere with either of them.

"And how does that have anything to do with this Rory, guy?" Clint asked, feeling the fight leave him, seeing that his friend had been right all along. And that he had been stupid to think anything of the sort about her cheating on him.

"Rory works as a radio DJ, Jeff wants to try his hand at being a radio DJ before he fully sells the bar, I asked Rory to met up when he had a spare second, to ask if he could help Jeff out. I gave him Jeff's number, so I don't have to be in the middle. If you would have came to me and asked point blank what was going on, we could have avoided this whole mess," she told him, slowly walking backwards to the door. "When you're ready to be a mature adult male, we can revisit this thing between us," she told him, leaving him alone with his friend.

"I told you the day we saw them together there was a reasonable reason they were meeting up. I told you to go over there and see for yourself, you were the one to hide behind this mask of yours afraid of getting hurt," Jason told him.

"I was a dick for not talking to her and trusting her, I get it," Clint snapped at him. "But from where we stood on that bridge, it looked every bit like a date," he reminded his friend.

"I know, I was there, man," Jason sighed. "But we all know not everything is as it seems. And this is where you need to figure out if she is truly worth it. If she is, you have some serious graveling to do. If not, then you need to move on," he said. "But if I were you, I would do what I could to make amends. She's worth it and are you really going to meet another woman like her?" Jason told him, making his exit, letting his friend have the time to really think about the answer to what he wanted to be doing when it came to Onyx.

It took him very little time to know the answer to the questions his friend asked him. He shouldn't have jumped to conclusions; he should have let her explain and trusted her when she said it was a meeting. In the short amount of time of knowing her, he knows how she feels about cheating and that she wouldn't put him through that. It slipped his mind when he saw red.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Jeff chuckled, pulling his apartment door open to see Clint stood on the opposite side. "Onyx was furious when she showed up here," he commented, stepping aside to let him.

"Is she here?" Clint asked nervously, looking around before fully entering the apartment.

"No," Jeff assured him. "But I know why you are here and I want to say sorry for causing this little rift between you guys." When Onyx ranted to him about what was going on with Clint and why, he felt guilty over it, even if it wasn't his fault to begin with, he should have been there to ask for the favor and not have his sister do it for him.

"You don't have a reason to be sorry. I should have trusted her a bit more and not jump to conclusions the way I did," Clint told him. "I need your help in getting back into her good graces. Any ideas?"

"She'll kill me," Jeff sighed. "But it will be worth it," he settled on, fighting his dilemma on it. "This happened before she became best friends with Sebastian, so she'll know where to come," he informed him. "When she was 12 this boy in her class that she had a crush on asked her to the school dance."

"I'm not going to like the outcome of this story am I?" Clint asked, clenching his jaw.

"No," Jeff sighed, shaking his head. "The boy ditched her an hour into their date for her best friend at the time. She left the dance early going home crying instead."

"Do you really think she'll forgive me if I recreate that night?" Clint wondered.

"I can't say," Jeff frowned. "Maybe you should change it up, like a lot," he said having second thoughts about it. "Change the outcome of that night for her, she can't go back and change it, she would if she could, but give her a do over of that night," he thought out loud. If anything like that happened to him he would like to have a do over and this would be her chance at having that do over. "Look, Clint, she may not seem like it but she is does like some romance."

"I've learnt most women do," he nodded, licking his bottom lip. "I might have a plan, but I do need for you to be available, along with Sugar, Sebastian, Mikki and a few others. I know I am not going to gain her trust back easily, but I need to start somewhere," he said.

"Let me know when," he told Clint. "But do, tell her this as she is the one you need to be telling," Jeff informed him.

"I'm headed over there now, do you think Seb will even let me in so I can talk to her?" He asked starting to worry about being able to actually have a talk with Onyx.

"You'll never know, as I have heard he didn't make it home last night," Jeff smiled. He was pulling for Clint in this. He has seen first hand the effects it has caused for his sister not only when she was with Hunter but so far with Clint and the bond she has with Clint is a much stronger bond in such a shorter period of time than she ever had with any of the exes she has.

* * *

"Have you came to your senses now?" Onyx questioned opening the door to let him in.

"I'm sorry that I jumped to such a conclusion. But from where I stood it really looked like a date, and I know I have no reason to be jealous as we haven't really defined what this is between us…"

"You have every right to be jealous," she quickly cut him off. "I would have been jealous if our places had been reversed," she let him know. "I was going to explain things afterwards, as I didn't have time beforehand," she sighed, feeling horrible about that.

"And I wouldn't let you," he chuckled drily. Onyx nodded. "I know I messed up, but seeing you being like that with another guy, it didn't sit right," he sighed.

"I get it," she shrugged. "We are trying to figure out what's between us and you thought I didn't want to be with you because you saw me with someone else, but how was I being?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Don't even," he warned with a chuckle. "I have a way to help make this up to you tomorrow, tell me you're free?" He pleaded with her.

"I'm free," she laughed. "Will you tell me what it is?" She asked.

"Uh no," he smirked. "But there is a dress code," he informed her. "Do wear a dress," he said.

"That isn't very clear, as there are a ton of different types of dresses. Which kind do I wear?" She teased.

"The kind one would wear to a dance," he laughed. "And that is all the information you are getting," he informed her.

"Okay," she smiled. "Do you want to say and watch a movie?" She asked him, pointing to the movie she paused when he knocked on the door. Getting back to normal with him sound like heaven to her right now.

"As much as I would like too, I can't if I want to get things set up for tomorrow night," he said, kissing her cheek and making his exit, leaving a giddy Onyx behind.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Here is the next chapter for you guys. I have been given permission to use Mikki, Jeremy, Karen and Dylan who isn't names on this chapter but a reference is made about him, and the belong to KikiJuanita. And you must ask her for permission. Onyx is mine and can not be used without my permission. The rest belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy._**

* * *

"You're not going to run off with my best friend are you?" She asked, entering her brother's bar to see it set up with fairy lights and cheesy 80's music being played. He couldn't get everything set up in time at the jazz club with it being only half done, if that. Jeff had been kind enough to offer his place, closing it to the general public for the night. It wasn't hard to see what he was doing for her, not when it came to her past.

"Why would I do something that crazy for?" Clint asked, pulling her into his embrace to dance among their friends. "I have the hottest date here," he smirked, giving her a twirl. "And nothing against your best friend, but I am not running off and starting a torrid love fair with Sebastian," he told her.

"I am going to pretend that I didn't hear that," Seb said, shaking his head as he walked by them.

Onyx couldn't control her fit of giggles, burying her head into his chest. "I have a major problem if you're planning on running off with Seb," she snorted, making Clint laugh. "And I really don't want to have a problem because I really like you," she said, regaining her breath and getting her laughter under control. Clint said nothing capturing her lips in a slow kiss.

"Does that seem like we have a problem?" He husked out, slowly pulling away from the kiss, Onyx following after, bringing him down for another kiss as her only reply.

"It means a lot that you did this for me," she commented, moving closer to him, using his chest to rest her head upon. "But I am still going to have a little word with my brother," she stated.

"He knew you'd be coming for him," Clint chuckled.

"That doesn't shock me," she laughed softly. Leave it to Jeff to tell Clint something that only he would know. She didn't even want to be mad at her brother for sharing a memory from her last she would rather forget, but the hard work Clint put into making that night up to her she couldn't help but love it. "Thank you for this," she whispered.

"It is my pleasure, Onyx," he whispered, kissing her head. "How's the arm?" He asked, content with holding her as they moved in a circle.

"It's nice to be able to scratch it," she laughed softly. She had gone in that morning for a check up and to see if the cast could come off now that it had been on for seven weeks. She had been relieved to hear her doctor tell her that her hand has healed up. She thought having the cast off her arm was the highlight of her day, turns out that wasn't even close to being the best part of her day by fair.

Clint laughed softly, shaking his head at the answer she gave him. He should have expected an answer like that one. "Want a drink?" He asked then.

"Is it spiked punch?" She asked overly excited.

"What kind of middle school do you go to?" He heard of spiking the punch in high school but not in any other grades younger than 9th grade.

"A normal one I think," she shrugged. "Besides I am old enough to drink now," she laughed. "The last thing I wanted to be doing was drinking at that age. Partying other than slumber parties was the only thing on my mind. And boys," she smirked.

"But the question remains," he started to say, seeing her roll her eyes at him. "What?" He asked with a chuckle.

"If you're about to ask if I would have gossiped about you, don't even ask because if I talk to my friends about you now, it is a guarantee I would have talked about you back then," she informed him, stopping at the bar. "I'm sure you were cute as ever back then," she smirked at him.

"I wasn't going to ask that," he chuckled, pulling her in placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Really?" She questioned, pulling back to look at him in the dim light. She didn't quite believe him, but she would give him this one.

"Yes," he nodded. "I wanted to know what type of drink you wanted. Do you want the spiked punch as you so well call it or do you want something a bit tamer?" He asked.

"I'll take some punch, if you're going to spike it for me," she smiled. "What do you have in the way of snacks?" She asked.

"Pretzels, chips and dip," he pointed to the other end of the counter, grabbing a plastic cup to put punch in for her.

"Anything more filling?" She asked with a frown. She was starving and the little snacks weren't going to tame her hunger.

Clint chuckled handing her the cup of punch. "I think I can find something in the kitchen to make you," he commented, placing his hand on her lower back to lead her to the kitchen.

"A cheeseburger with bacon if you can, please," she requested, slipping onto the counter while he went to see if he could provide her request.

"A s'mores would be good too," she commented off handily.

"I am sorry, but I don't have marshmallows, chocolate or graham crackers," he chuckled, finding the beef and bacon for her burger. Not seeing any of the ingredients needed for a s'mores.

"Can we get some after this dance is over with?" She pouted, sticking her lips out.

"And how do you propose we make them?" He asked, getting everything set up before handling the raw meat.

"A stove, a microwave, there are ways," she told him.

"If I don't agree you'll get them anyway," he commented. "So I guess I can make it easier for you," he exaggerated. Onyx rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, nonetheless

The talked and joked around while Clint cooked the food for her, adding in a handful of fries to the deep fryer. Once the food was done they sat in the kitchen eating the food, Clint having made one for himself.

"I was starting to wonder where you ran off to," Jeff chuckled, entering the kitchen area to see his sister and well he didn't really know what to call Clint, as he wasn't really friends with the guy and he wasn't his sister's boyfriend as of yet, watching what little bit of dishes they had used.

"Someone got hungry," Clint chuckled, nudging Onyx.

"I'm not ashamed that we raided your kitchen for a burger," Onyx stated looking to her brother, grabbing a towel to dry her hands on. "Someone should have put out better snacks," she shrugged.

"We'll keep that in mind the next time we throw a dance," Jeff chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't care that you raided the kitchen; you did clean up after yourselves. And soon enough it is going to be Blaine's problem," he shrugged.

"So you are going to sell to him?" Onyx asked, leaning against the counter top. Clint going about and finished with cleaning up, letting the siblings have this moment.

"Yeah. I can't thank you enough for talking to Rory and getting me a chance to see if I want to be a radio DJ," he said. "Even if it did cause a hiccup for you and Clint."

"Things are good now and I got my own dance out of it, so it's alright," she smiled, casting a look over at Clint, thinking maybe they should sit down later and redraw the lines once more. "So when do I get to hear you on the radio?"

"From the hours of midnight to five," he shrugged. "It's the best they can do, but I am going to take it, and do my best and turn it around," he informed his sister.

"I don't think I am going to willingly get up at midnight to listen to your show," she told him. "But if I find myself up during that time frame I'll listen in," she stated.

"I didn't expect you to get up just to listen," Jeff chuckled. "Besides it'll be another week before I start," he said. "I just wanted to let you know that I am going to take off and spend the rest of my night with my girlfriend," he smirked, seeing his sister pretend to gag.

"I don't need to know what my brother and my best friend are going to be doing," she stated, shoving her brother out the doors of the kitchen. "Think we can leave as well?" She asked, looking at Clint. "That way my brother can kick everyone else out and lock up for the night," she commented.

"It is your dance, so you can leave whenever you want to," Clint informed her, tossing the rag he was using in the sink, to be dealt with later for whoever it is that comes in and cleans the kitchen.

"In that case let's go," she smiled.

"You just want them s'mores," he laughed, following her from the kitchen.

"Of course," she laughed, looking back at him before she went around to say her goodbyes to everyone and thank them for taking the time to come and make the night that much more special for her.

With the bags filled with what little ingredients they needed, they headed up to Onyx's place as she wanted to change from the knee length dress she wore into something more comfortable before spending the night watching movies and just hanging out with Clint as they ate the multiple s'mores they planned on making.

"Stranger danger," she playfully yelled, pulling her phone out.

"Stranger danger, indeed," he chuckled, getting to his feet. "Who are you calling?" He questioned, shaking his head, at her actions.

"The police, duh," she replied, all while Clint looked between the two of them wondering just what was going on, as no one was cluing him in on any of it. "I'd like to report a crime," she said, once the other end of the phone had been picked up. "There's this stalker that flew all the way from Ohio to kill me, and he's at our door," she said, giving away that she was talking to Seb.

"Hey Bash," he laughed. "Tell your friend to stop being so dramatic," he loudly said, swiping the phone from Onyx and putting it on speaker.

"I am so happy that I am not there," Seb laughed. "Jere, what are you doing at my place? And please don't kill my best friend, even if she is dramatic," he said, getting a strange look from his girlfriend.

"I wanted to talk to you. When do you plan on being home?" Jeremy asked, entering the apartment now that Onyx had the door unlocked. "Why would I kill her? I would only have to kill her boyfriend as well," he commented.

"I'm not her boyfriend," Clint stated, placing the bag he had on the table.

"Clint you're going to have to keep them from fighting with each other," Seb sighed.

"If it's that important we can go back," Mikki suggested, sensing that he might need to be at home to deal with his brother.

"Nah, it should be fine," he smiled at his girlfriend. He knew how important it was to her that they get away for the weekend and have a romantic getaway. "I'll be back sometime Sunday," Seb said speaking to his brother again. "Is that going to be okay? Or do I need to cut my weekend away with girlfriend short?" He asked.

"I'll be here until Monday night, so we'll have plenty of time to catch up," Jeremy commented.

"Wait!" Onyx said, cutting into whatever her friend had to say. "I'm going to be stuck with your brother for the next two and a half days? How am I going to survive?" She asked. "Why couldn't it have been the better brother?" She asked sticking her tongue out at Jeremy.

"Real mature, Onyx," Jeremy laughed. "I did have plans of crashing on the couch," he smirked.

"Yeah well now you can sleep in Seb's bed," Onyx stated with a sigh. It wasn't that she didn't like Jeremy, in fact that wasn't the case at all. She got along with Jeremy just fine. They had an amazing friendship. The last thing she wanted to do was play babysitter to Jeremy while he was in town to see his brother, when she had plans with Clint.

"Any bodily fluid from you or your girlfriend I should know about?" Jeremy smirked.

"Ish," Onyx fake gagged. "Seb, Mikki we will be seeing you in a few days. Be careful on every account," Onyx said, hanging the phone up. "I'll get you clean sheets so you can make the bed," she commented.

"Aww aren't you the perfect little host," Jeremy cooed, following behind her.

"I swear to whoever, I will not hesitate to hurt you while you sleep tonight," she warned, digging clean sheets and a blanket from the closet.

"Got it," he laughed, taking the sheets and heading for his brother's room.

"I'm sorry about him. I didn't know he was going to be showing up," she apologized to Clint, wrapping her arms around his waist. "We can still hang out in my room and leave him to own devices for the night," she suggested.

"As much as I appreciate that offer, I'll go and we can have this night later in the week," he promised, pressing a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I'm sure he needs you more than I need to be with you," he said.

"Yeah, maybe," she sighed. "I am all for doing this another night," she smiled, sharing a kiss with him, letting him leave.

"What is that all about?" Jeremy asked, joining her on the couch.

"Making sure that I'm not rushing into anything after Hunter is all," she shrugged. "It's nice to take things at a different pace with Clint," she commented.

"Have you slept with him yet?" Jeremy asked raising an eyebrow at her. She shook her head. As much as she would like to jump him, it wouldn't do them any good. "What?" He asked, every bit shocked. "I've never known you not to hook up with a guy."

"Clint is different," she smiled. "I like him enough that I don't want we have and what we can have to be ruined or all about sex," she told him. "Nothing wrong in that."

"I didn't say there was. That is what I am doing," he smiled.

"Does that mean your divorce is finalized?" She asked, feeling like she was getting the reason he showed up for to talk to his brother about. "Or that maybe you're going to audition for some musicals again?"

"That has been finalized for a few months now," he nodded. "It's more that I've met someone else or rather ran into someone from my past," he shared. "I've got a few auditions lined up. I'll make sure to save four tickets. I can't have you and Seb showing up without your plus ones," he teased.

"Now that sounds like juicy information, that I must know before your brother does," she laughed. "I'm not even going to be mad about that comment," she laughed. She would take Clint with her and would pay for his ticket if she had to.

"You remember Karen? My high school sweetheart?" He asked, a goofy smile on his face. Onyx nodded, it was hard to forget Karen, as she had grown close to the older woman when she was younger as Karen would spend quite bit of her time at the Smythe place as would she. "I ran into her a few weeks back and we've been spending time together getting reacquainted. I don't think I ever stopped loving her. It was just hard what with her overseas for University, while I was in school and trying out for every show I could," he shared.

"I think it's sweet and I am all for you and her to work things out, Jere," she told him. She was happy for him, as she did see Jeremy as a brother figure.

"I thought it was going to be weird with her having an 8-year-old son, but the dude is awesome and we get along."

"She has a son? And you didn't get scared off?" Onyx asked, shocked by that revelation.

"I don't have anything against kids, Onyx," he stated, shaking his head. "Ex-fiancé, he couldn't take the pressure of having a kid and bailed."

"What a douche," Onyx said shaking her head. "If things with Karen work out this time, will you adopt the little guy?"

"If they want me to than yeah," he commented without skipping a beat.

"I knew there was a good guy under that jackassery," she teased.

"I'm still not sure there is anything under the man-eating whore called Onyx," he joked, earning a pillow to the face. "I kid, I know there is something under it all, I just don't know what," he smirked. She rolled her eyes at him.

They spent the rest of their night talking a bit more before turning the TV on to find something to watch until they decided to call it a night. They would figure out their plan once morning came,. They will find a way to waste there Saturday and part of Sunday in the morning, biding their time until Sebastian returned home.

* * *

With Seb returning home earlier on Sunday than they thought he would, Onyx headed over to Clint's place, giving the brother's the space they needed. Seb had sent her texts making sure the apartment building as a whole still stood and that no harm was done between his best friend and brother. Not that he thought that bad about them being alone together as he knew they considered each other family. Onyx being the sister Jeremy never knew he wanted and for Onyx he was just another brother in the ever growing list of hers.

"Free from babysitting," she smiled, entering his apartment once he opened the door for her. The last few days hadn't been that bad. She got a bit of information out the shows he had lined up to audition for and they all sounded like a good fit for him.

"He can't be that bad," Clint commented, seeing she brought what they needed to make the S'mores, just like he promised, she is just cashing in a few days earlier than planned.

"He can be," Onyx retorted. "Mind keeping these here? I don't trust my best friend and his brother," she commented, leaving the bag on the table.

"Not at all," he nodded. "I thought you were going to make them," he chuckled.

"We can, but I figured with the weather being nice, or hoping it stays that way, we can go camping," she suggested. She hadn't been camping in such a long time, that it would be nice to get away from the city and just unwind without any electronics around. And just enjoy nature and the world around them.

"I don't even know the last time I went camping," he commented. "I am up for that," he smiled. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Very few people know about it," she said. It was a place that her brother found and as far as she knew no one else knew about it as they never saw anyone else there. "It's a little place tucked away by a little lake. It's really beautiful," she smiled.

"How can it not be with you there," he cheesily said. Onyx rolled her eyes.

"I am really starting to miss that jerk of a guy I first met at the bar," she stated, making herself comfortable on his couch.

"Why?" He asked, sitting down and angling himself towards her on the couch. "That a kinky fetish for you?" He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Maybe you'll have that answer one day," she smirked at him. "Having jerk you around is much better than the cheesy you," she answered.

"I'll work on that," he laughed. "Mind being serious for a moment?" He asked, licking his lips.

"What's going on?" She asked, turning slightly to face him, tucking a leg under herself.

"That's what I would like to know, Onyx," he told her. "I don't want you to feel like this is pushing you into anything you don't want," he quickly clarified. "But it would be nice to call you my girlfriend," he said. He didn't mind what they were doing, it was just hard to know they had this line that he couldn't cross because she wasn't ready and he respected that, but he really likes her and he wants everyone to know that she is his.

"I like you, Clint," she told him slowly, moving closer to him. "And you've gone out of your way to prove how much you care and like me, the dance you organized says that and more. But I don't know if I am ready for a full on relationship. I don't want this to get screwed up if I'm not ready," she told him.

"Then let me take you out on a few dates, to see if you are ready for more," he pleaded with her.

"I would like that," she smiled. "Unfortunately, they'll have to be held off for two weeks," she sighed, earning a confused look from Clint. "I'm super busy this week with summer school and private tutoring, that I don't have time for anything in my personal life other than sleeping and figuring out lesson plans," she told him. And Monday after the camping trip, I'm headed to Houston for a three day teaching seminar and that Friday I am headed to Dallas for a one-day workshop. And when I get back midday Saturday, I just want to sleep until Sunday night," she explained to him.

"But we can try a date out once you get back?" He asked. He respected that she had work related things to do and he wasn't going to pitch a fit because of it. He wasn't the type to hold anyone back from being the best they could be in any aspect of life.

"I would like that," she smiled. "I only have one request," she said, Clint nodding wanting to know what the request happens to be. "Don't go recreating any failed dates or other things from my past," she told him. The dance was cute, but she didn't want to relive the rest of them. She wanted to move forward with Clint and not live in the past of her broken dates and events. "I want to look to the future with you Clint."

"I won't recreate anything from your past or mine," he assured her. He did have plenty of time to figure out the perfect first date. He wanted her to know that she could put her trust in him. That they could make a real relationship work.


	15. Chapter 15

**Mikki and Jeremy belong to KikiJuanita. The other unrecognizable characters belong to me and the ones you do recognize belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Jeff asked his sister. Jeff and Sugar had come over for dinner, along with Mikki and Onyx had just finished explaining to them that she would be gone for the weekend as she was going camping with Clint.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, looking across the table at her brother. "I've been camping before, plenty of times," she reminded him.

"I know this," Jeff nodded his head. "Look, I like Clint, if I didn't I wouldn't have helped him when he came to me, but I don't want you to be rushing things with him," he explained a bit further. He worries for his sister, knows how easily and how well she can hide her true feelings over things, and how she can seem fine but still stressed over the damage the last relationship caused her.

"I promise you Jeff, I am not rushing into things with him. I have come to terms with what happened with Hunter and I have accepted that it wasn't all my fault. I have things to work on, but I am not letting what happened with Hunter to dictate what I do with Clint. Besides I am taking things with him as slow as I need them to be," she told her brother and those around them. "Whatever I decide to do with Clint is on me and what I think is right and not what you feel is right for me," she stated.

"Is it wrong to look out for my sister?" He questioned.

"I never said it was wrong, Jeff," she stressed, pushing her plate away, losing her appetite over the bickering with her brother. "I worry about you too, but I am not sitting here telling you how to be with Sugar. You need to trust me and trust that I know what I am doing. Is it that hard for you to want me to be happy?" She asked, downing the water in her glass. She needed to be drinking more water, so she was trying to do just that.

"No, it's not that hard," Jeff told her, feeling guilty that she would even think like that. "I trust you, Onyx and we're not going through that again. It's never fun seeing you hurt where I can't do anything to help you," he stressed, wanting her to see where he is coming from.

"I know how hard it is to deal with an overbearing older brother," Mikki said, feeling it best to intervene in the siblings spat going on before it turned into a full-blown fight where they said things they would only later come to regret saying. "And I've had this talk with him. Jeff, only wants you to be happy and to make sure that Clint is what makes you happy," she said looking to Onyx. Before turning her attention to Jeff. "And your sister wants you to better trust her judgement on this and that if Clint didn't make her happy, she wouldn't be trying to figure out where things are going with him," she stated, wanting them both to see that it isn't something to be fighting about.

"If Clint didn't make me happy, I wouldn't be spending my free time with him, Jeff. He makes me feel alive," she shared with a smile.

"That is all that I want for you," Jeff stated. "And I will mind my business about your personal life from now on," he confessed.

"Why would you do a crazy thing like that for?" Onyx asked. "You may annoy the heck out of me with second guessing my choices but by doing so, you make me think twice. I have your voice stuck in my head reminding me on things only you would do," she said shaking her head. She didn't want her brother to stop speaking his mind about what she did, she liked hearing his opinion even if it wasn't what she wants to be hearing.

"I am disappointed that I have to wait even longer before we have our monthly night out," Seb sighed, half of a teasing smile on his face.

"We'll get to it this month," Onyx promised him. It was something they did since they went to different schools growing up and it stuck through the years even if they did spend a good chunk of their time together and now live together. It was still hard to find time with their own lives going on. "How is Jeremy?" She asked then.

"Good," Seb nodded. "He keeps bugging me about when I'll be bringing Mikki home to meet the family," he tacked on. He had tried to find the perfect time to do so, but he couldn't get anything to align the way they needed to.

"That is an excellent question," Onyx nodded. "The same as when are you going to meet the rest of Mik's family?" She asked.

"Can we not?" Seb asked.

"It's something that we have been in disagreement over for the past few weeks," Mikki sighed. They were making it harder than it needed to be.

"It's not that easy," Seb sighed, shaking his head. "I only have a select few days off, I don't want to cancel on the kids I am helping at the center and tutoring. I don't see the point in going there only to turn right back around because I have work to do," he explained.

"I know it isn't ideal," Onyx said, licking her lips. "What if over winter break you go to one parents place then a few months later over spring break, you go to the other," she suggested.

"Isn't it a short spring break this year?" He asked, Onyx shrugged, not sure how long their spring break would be for.

"You could take a few days off at that time," she pointed out.

"Sebastian Smythe take days off of work when he isn't dying of a sickness is unheard of," Jeff laughed.

"You could spend half your time at one place over winter break and spend the last half at the other place, both of you efficiently meeting the parents and family members at the same time," Sugar commented, giving them another option.

"That could work," Onyx nodded.

"You wouldn't mind?" Seb asked looking at her.

"Why would I?" She laughed. "I'll be there to help your girlfriend deal with Jeremy," she pointed out.

"Mind filling me in on why you're more concerned about that working with your best friend over that of your girlfriend?" Mikki asked, looking at her boyfriend.

"She celebrates with us on Christmas Eve, as we have a semi big meal and open a few gifts, before she goes and celebrates with her own family as she is considered apart of my family," he explained.

"It's nothing personal," Onyx said, jumping in not wanting Mikki to feel like she wasn't valued here as Seb should have been worried if it worked out best for Mikki. "It's a tradition they started when I became friends with Seb and wouldn't ever go home, as I had two Christmases on the actually day that they wanted to do something special for me. So, Seb just wanted to make sure that I was okay with either sharing that day with you or that I am okay with him not being there," she clarified for Mikki.

"That makes sense," Mikki nodded. "And I would feel horrible to make Seb miss that. But we can work something out where he'll be able to have that day with you," she assured Onyx.

"I won't make plans until I know what you two are doing," Onyx smiled. "That reminds me, when do you get to meet the parents?" She asked looking at her brother.

"Next month," Jeff nodded. "Any tips?" He asked.

"Sweetie, I told you that you have nothing to be worrying about," Sugar said, resting a hand on her boyfriend's leg.

"Her parents are cool," Onyx nodded. She never had a problem with her friends family, yet things were a bit different. "Just be you Jeff, don't go out of your way to impress them. They'll know if you are being fake, they deal with that sort of thing daily," Onyx advised him.

"Noted," Jeff nodded. "We still down for the game next week?" He asked looking over at Sebastian. They may not have been the best of friends growing up, but over the years they have become friends to a certain degree, he didn't think he would ever be as close as his sister is to Seb, and that was okay with him.

"Of course," Seb laughed. "My team is gonna take your team down," he challenged.

"You've said that the last three years and you have yet to win," Jeff laughed.

"What am I missing here?" Mikki questioned, looking at those around the table, Sugar just as lost as she is.

"They have a baseball team for charity and next week is when they start the tournament. Did your boyfriend's not tell you any of this?" Onyx asked once she explained it to them both.

"He did not," Mikki said, shaking her head.

"I don't recall, Jeff saying anything of the sort," Sugar commented.

"You can't say that. Because I told you I had a game to practice for," Jeff defended himself.

"As did I," Seb said. "You just never asked for what and it never really occurred to me to explain it in full until next week," he shrugged.

"You guys are kinda failing in the boyfriend department with not explaining it to them a heck of a lot sooner. Not wait until the day of the game," Onyx said, shaking her head. "Someone needs to keep me updated since I won't be here," she said.

"We've got you covered," Mikki told her with a smile. Sugar agreeing with a nod.

"Do you think Clint would be up to playing?" Jeff questioned.

"What makes you think that you get him on your team?" Seb questioned, looking over at Jeff.

 **My brother and best friend are fighting over you!** She sent to Clint, typing under the table as they had agreed not to have phones at the table while they eat and catch up.

 _Seriously?_ Clint sent back to her, followed with. _Over what exactly?_

 **They have a baseball tournament next week. They both want you on their team.** She explained to him in a text.

 _What team is the better team? What team should I even be on?_ He sent to her.

 **I can't tell you what team to pick. However, Jeff's team has won the last three years. Seb wants to dethrone him. So if you're any good be on Seb's team if you suck be on my brother's team.** She quickly shot off to him. She really wanted to see her best friend win for a change.

 _Tell them I'll know for sure in a few days. Gotta practice to see what team I need to be on._

"He says he'll decided in a few days and to stop fighting over him as it isn't pretty," Onyx told them, getting up from the table to place her plate in the sink, now that she has found some sort of appetite and ate her food. "Now I am going to leave you guys alone so you can do couple things," she said making the move to the hallway.

"You don't have to go hide in your room," Seb told her.

"We have to go anyway, we have a movie date to be getting to," Jeff said, getting up and helping Sugar up before taking their dirty dishes to the sink.

"Enjoy the movie," Onyx called from next to her bedroom door. "And Seb I'm not hiding I do have to pack for my camping trip," she reminded her friend.

"Yeah but it's days away," he retorted with. "You sure you want to skip out on the movie?" He asked, as Mikki brought a movie with for them to watch.

"I'd just ruin the movie for you, since I've seen it," she laughed. "And you've seen how I pack right?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you better get a head start on that now," he laughed.

* * *

"Are the roads that rough that you can't take your own car?" He questioned, helping her load the camping supplies she told him that she would be bringing. Between the both of them they had everything they needed for a weekend of camping, except for the food and they would stop on their way.

"Why get my car full of dirt, when I can easily get your pick up here covered in mud?" She teased, tossing her bag into the back of the pick up, after she placed her purse in the cab.

"How can I argue with that?" He laughed, picking the heavier items up and placing them in the bed of the pick up. "Are you sure that you have everything?" He asked, noticing that she only had one bag of personal belongings.

"I have clothes and a pair of shoes, what else do I need?" She had her personal items as well. She was sleeping in the wilderness, not in some fancy hotel in a foreign country. She didn't need to plan for any sort of outing that didn't consist of fishing or hiking. "Unless you have this thing about sharing a tent," she said, not sure how he felt about sharing a tent, as she didn't see the need to bring more than one.

"I don't mind sharing a tent at all," he told her, checking to make sure that nothing would blow out while driving. "It's just that I've seen woman mostly my sister pack for a camping trip and it's been ten times what you packed," he explained his question away.

"I don't need a whole closet on a camping trip, just a few extra changes of clothes to last the weekend in case any get wet or muddy. I promise I have everything that I need," she assured him, going to get into the cab of the pick up, now that they had everything loaded.

"So about this baseball game," he commented once they were on the road, after they had stopped for food and what they wanted to drink while out there. A bit more alcohol than they really needed found their way to counter at the liquor store.

"What do you want to know?" She asked. "My brother knows the game, he played in little league growing up. He didn't have the passion for the sport once he got to like 7th grade," she explained. "It's something they've done for a few years now. It's just the fourth year where they get to be captain of the team. Have you thought about the team your going to be on?" She questioned him.

"Who do I need to suck up to?" He questioned with an underlying of a teasing tone.

"Both," she told him. "But this isn't about sucking up to them on my behalf," she told him. "This is about what you want to be doing. I suggest since I want to see my best friend finally beat my brother, that you join Seb's team if you rock at the game if not join my brother's and help him lose," she shared.

"You really want your brother to lose, don't you?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I do," she nodded. "I can only take so much of his gloating," she shared. "Wouldn't you want your sister to lose if it meant that your best friend got the win?" She asked him. She knew how close he is to his sister after they had both graduated high school and he stopped being such a dick to people. "Turn left on that dirt road," she told him.

He nodded, slowing the pick up and turning his blinker on, as he approached the dirt road. "I couldn't make a decision like that without being put in a predicament to make it," he told her. He really wouldn't know what to do in that scenario.

"I am happy for Jeff, I am," she assured him. "But it would be nice to see my best friend win for once," she shrugged. She was close to both Seb and Jeff that it is hard at times to pick between them. But in this case it was to pick Seb over her brother as he has had his fair share of wins where her best friend hasn't had a win as of yet.

"I get that," he said. "Where am I going?" He asked, not wanting to get lost along the way.

"It's still a few more miles ahead," she informed him. "For the record you don't have to play on either team, you don't even have to go and watch it," she stated.

"I think I'll play," he told her. "I know I don't have to, but honestly it sounds like fun and I don't mind," he assured her.

"If you're sure because they like you. And they're not going to hate you unless you hurt me. You make me ridiculously happy and that is all they want," she told him.

"I have no desire to hurt you, Onyx," he told her, stealing a small glance her way.

"I know this," she smiled, moving her hand to gently squeeze his thigh.

The last bit of the drive was done so with friendly chatter as she directed him towards the little camping spot, they'd be calling theirs for the next few days.

"I'll let you take that and I'll get the tent set up," he told her, seeing that her mom is trying to get ahold of her.

"Hey Mom," she smiled at him, answering the call to see what happened to be so important that couldn't wait a few days. "What's going on?" She questioned, slipping from the pick up, not wanting to get hot while talking on the phone.

"I didn't want to interrupt your camping trip. How is that going by the way, sweetie?" Her mom asked, not even worried about keeping her daughter on the phone longer than necessary.

"Things are good," she smiled, looking to see him struggling with the tent, which she chuckled at softly. "I am trying to take things slow, but I don't know if I can," she sighed, turning to look away from him. Things with Hunter still plagued her. Not so much of his cheating as she trusted Clint there, but it is more of the feelings she had for Hunter as she had loved the man deeply. And frankly she wasn't sure if she would ever stop loving him and that scared her a bit.

"Sweetie, you don't have to take it slow if that isn't what you want. You decide how fast you want to move with him," her mom told her.

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that I don't know if I will ever move past the love I have for Hunter," she told her mom.

"Honey, you may never fully get over that love for Hunter, but that's okay, you just make room for any new love and you won't ever know if you don't try," her mom said, giving her some mom wisdom.

"Maybe you're right," Onyx sighed, turning back to see that he was still struggling a bit with the tent as it's easier to put a tent up with two people and not one. "I know you didn't call just to talk about my problems," she laughed softly.

"I could've," her mom said offended. "I call to see how things are going," she intently told her daughter.

"I know, mom and that's not what I meant. You wouldn't call and interrupt my camping trip to just to check in. You have something important to say," Onyx clarified.

"I do." Onyx could hear the smile her mom wore. "Lydia asked me to marry her," Jade told her daughter.

"Mom, that's great," Onyx beamed. "You did say yes, right?" She questioned her mom.

"What do you think?" She asked her daughter with a duh tone. "We want you and Jeff to stand up there with us."

"Of course I will, Mom. Um, what about her kids?" She could only recall meeting her two kids once or twice as they did have that bit of a strained relationship where they grew up with their father. Lydia did what she could to stay apart of her kids life. Now that they were older, they had a better relationship.

"She's actually gone this weekend to talk with them in person. The wedding is going to be a small affair on the 19th. It's crucial that you be here by the 16th," she warned her daughter.

"I'll be there," she laughed into the phone. "I'll even bring a plus one," she told her mom.

"I am serious, Onyx. You have to be willing to love again and not let what bit of love you hold for Hunter keep you from loving Clint," she sternly told her daughter.

"I won't," Onyx told her mom. "Tell that fiancée of yours congratulations. Bye Mom," she said ending the call getting a bye in return.

"Is that how we pop a tent?" She asked with a laugh, slipping her phone into her pocket, seeing he had the tent half way up.

"There are so many ways I can reply to that," he chuckled, watching her gaze go from the tent to his own pants. "And not like that," he laughed. "What'd your mom need?" He asked, going back to finishing the tent.

"Motherly advice," she shrugged, stepping in to help you. "And it was the first thing that came to mind after I said it," she laughed. "Such a shame," she told him shaking his head. "She's getting married next month and you get to be my plus one," she told him.

"When exactly?" He asked, hoping that it didn't interfere with his best friends wedding.

"The 16th through the 19th. Is that going to be a problem?" She asked.

"Nope," he smiled shaking his head. "You'll just have to repay me by being my plus one the week before that," he countered with.

"I think I can spare a few days," she smiled. "Now let's get this set up before the rain starts," she told him, seeing the dark clouds moving their way.

"We can call it and try again another weekend," he commented, watching the heavy rainfall hit the windshield of the pick up.

They had gotten the tent up on time and it started out as a light sprinkle for all of five minutes before it started pouring, rain water making its way into the tent soaking everything in its path. A quick listen to the forecast on the radio told them the nice weather for the weekend was done for as a storm would be staying around all weekend.

"Or we can find a hotel and take our camp out there," she suggested.

"How about we go back to mine, and we just don't tell the rest of them we've come back early," he said with a sigh, knowing he would get drenched having to get the tent taken down.

"Wouldn't that be cheating?" She asked eyeing him up.

"Sort of, maybe," he chuckled. "It's better than sitting here where we can't even cook our food or even leave this truck," he pointed out.

"True and it's not like they have to know we didn't really camp," she thought out loud. "Let's get the tent taken down," she commented, jumping from the pick up making a mad dash for the tent to taking it down, Clint quick to join her.

A few minutes later they were getting back inside the pick up with their bags holding dry clothes, as they stripped their soaked ones off, to busy getting dry and warming up from the cold rain water to steal any glances at the other one.

With their wet clothes laying in a puddle on the floor board and the heater turned down they headed back to the city to have a camp out at Clint's place, hoping to get past Jeff in the process.

"We can make a fort in the living room and make S'mores on the stove. We don't even have to turn the TV on or the lights," he commented when they got closer to the city.

"I am holding you to all of that," she laughed.

Just like he said, they built a fort in the middle of his living room, enjoyed oven roasted S'mores. They may not have camped out in the woods but they made do with what they had and had a fun weekend, their phones staying put on the kitchen counter.

The one thing she learned from her fort building weekend with Clint is that maybe, just maybe she is ready to take what she has with him to that level of a real relationship.


	16. Chapter 16

**It goes without saying that Onyx is mine and can not be used without my permission. Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita and you do need to be getting permission from her if do so wish to use Mikki. The rest belong to their rightful owners. Enjoy.**

* * *

The moments she shared with her best friend were the best memories to have, besides the memories she shared with her brother of course. And tonight is no different when a happy-go-lucky Seb walked into the place while grabbing two beers from the fridge, making his way to his best friend's room, pushing the door the rest of the way open seeing said roommate laying on her stomach typing away on her laptop.

"You're such a nerd," he joked, plopping down on her bed to see what she was doing. "I haven't thought much about my lesson plan for the year," he commented, seeing that she was going over the lesson plan she had made a week ago, changing things around. She had started her lesson plan while going to the conferences, wanting to get the head start on that, with two weddings coming up.

"School starts in two and a half weeks and you're telling me that you, the guy that has lesson plans done a month before school starts hasn't even started his yet?" She asked in mock shock. She knew he had yet to do his. She may have went on his laptop to see what he would be doing and found nothing to be done.

"Can you blame me?" He asked, handing her the extra beer.

"Uh yes, Seb, I can blame you," she stated, sitting up, twisting the cap off. "My biggest problem I want to add more color and flash to my classroom. I can't figure out what to do," she sighed.

"Do the Flash. I look like Barry Allen don't ya think?" He teased. She snorted, beer coming out her nose. "What?"

"Barry is way hotter than you," she stated matter of factly. "I think Marley looks more like Supergirl than you do Barry Allen," she shrugged.

"She kinda does," he agreed, nodding his head. "But I do take offense to that. I could pull off being the Flash."

"If only you were good at running," she huffed out jokingly, knowing how slow he truly is while running.

"True," he laughed, shutting her laptop and moving it to the floor, stretching his legs out. She tossed her legs over his, leaning back against the wall.

"What other reason did you have for barging into my room?" She asked, sipping at the beer.

"Can't a best friend hang out for no apparent reason?" He asked with a chuckle. She gave him a look saying no he couldn't. "I had an amazing night with Mikki and I am thinking about staying a few nights a week with her," he stated.

"That's pretty huge, dude," she told him. "But go for it, if that's what you want and feels right," she tacked on. "I can't exactly be telling you how fast or slow to be taking your relationship with Mikki. I can see that you are past smitten with her and in the deep end of fallen for her."

"It does feel right," he commented. "I've never felt this pull with any of the others. And I have fallen into the deep end with her, but ya know?" He questioned with a smile. "I don't want to be in the deep end with anyone else."

"Just so you know that if you hurt her I will hurt you, Seb," she warned, making Seb choke slightly on his beer.

"And what if she hurts me?" He questioned. "But seriously what did she say to get you to like her?"

"It goes without saying that I will hurt her, Seb," she told him in a duh tone. "She had the balls to step up to me and put you first. She doesn't care that we are friends, or question if we have done anything more than sleep in the same bed. She trusts you, she cares about you greatly. So much in fact she questioned my loyalty to you. None of the others did that, Seb. She's one of a kind."

"You're saying that she wasn't afraid to put you in your place, like the rest of them had been?" She nodded to confirm that assessment. "Would you have liked the rest if they had done so?"

"Hell no," she shouted. "They were still paranoid about the relationship we had," she said motioning between the two of them. "Not only that but they weren't trustworthy or even good enough for you. Mikki on the other hand, she is way too good for you," she smirked. Seb laughed, smacking her arm.

"You may actually be right about that," he caved under her gaze. "And what about Clint? Because I do believe that you are far too good for him," he stated.

"You can stop right there Sebastian Smythe," she warned. "He is a friend and if you must know, I have been thinking about maybe dating him or at the very least going on a date with him," she shared, as they have been in talks about going on a date, with two weddings to get ready for and a bachelor party he needed to orchestrate, effectively putting a hold on any dates.

"Go for it. You won't know if you don't try, Onyx. And you do have some crazy chemistry with the guy," Seb commented. "Did I ever tell you, how I meet Mikki?" He questioned, thinking it would be a good idea to share how he met his girlfriend, giving her the chance to maybe take that next step with Clint.

"That is why I have been thinking about it," she retorted. "And no, I can't recall you telling me that story," She said shaking her head. She couldn't recall Seb ever telling her the story of how they meet. Other than Mikki making him happy she didn't press him on his relationship, nothing past Mikki being okay with him being friends with her. As long as she is okay with that, she didn't need to know the details of their relationship unless Seb wanted to give them up. Seb is the same way with her relationships unless he feels it a need to push her into something she is scared to do.

"You remember that week you were off with your unnameable ex in Vegas?" He questioned with a hint of uncertainty on how she would handle what he said.

"I remember it clearly, Seb," she told him. "We can say Hunter, he is a friend after all," she said rolling her eyes, knowing how Seb acted around him still, that is one friendship that will never be the way it had been, not that there was much to it to begin with.

 _With school on Spring Break for a week and his roommate gone for the rest of the week, he found himself walking the streets not wanting to be cooped up at home on what had turned into a nice day, now that the clouds cleared up and the sun shined brightly in the sky. A rather random idea came to mind when he spotted the open house sign. Not only is the lease coming up for the place he shares with his roommate but soon enough she would be moving out to live with her boyfriend or fiancé if he ever worked up the courage to ask. With his mind made up, he headed into the house that is being sold to find the place empty._

 _"Hello? Anyone here?" He asked, staying on the plastic strips placed on the floor, not wanting to muck up the cream-colored carpets the house had. Not seeing or hearing anyone he turned to leave._

 _"Hey, sorry," an out of breath petite brunette said, rushing down the stairs. "There was a problem," she offered as the only excuse. Seb nodded, walking back to the kitchen, leaning against it. "My name is Mikki," she introduced herself. "What can I do for you?"_

 _"A tour would be nice," he pointed out amusingly. "I'm Sebastian, but you can call me Seb," he smiled softly at her._

 _"Right that is my job," she laughed. "This is the kitchen, all new granite countertops have been installed, new stainless steel appliances. The hardwood flooring is a dark maple. Right through here is the dining room," she said leading him through the house._

 _She showed him each room, talking non-stop about what each room had to offer. Half the time he wasn't even paying attention, not caring so much about the house she is trying to sell but rather more captivated by her._

 _"Any questions?" She asked, when they ended up back at the kitchen._

 _"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked before really knowing what he was saying. She blushed, busying herself with getting a few stray papers in order. He was ready to say sorry, but before he could say anything else she started to talk, filling up the awkward air around them._

 _"Not at the moment," she answered. "Though I wasn't asking if you had personal questions for me, rather if you have questions about the house," she clarified, getting her thoughts in order and the appeal of going out with him had to offer. As she had checked him out while explaining the house to him._

 _"Right," he slowly said, with a nod. "Not about this house. I couldn't afford it and it doesn't scream home to me. Do you have any apartments?" He questioned. Without having the added benefit of having a roommate to pay for half the bills, he needed something he could afford on his own._

 _"We do. I can make you an appointment for Thursday at 11," she told him, looking through her appointments on her phone's calendar._

 _"That will work," he nodded, seeing more people enter the house. "I'll be seeing you Thursday, Mikki," he smiled, making his exit as she started to talk to the others._

"You can't tell me that is all to that story, Seb," she laughed, he shook his head. She could see her best friend blurting something like that out to the one girl that he likes.

"Not exactly," he answered. "If you wouldn't have interrupted me you would know that," he playfully glared at her.

"Right," she answered, not really believing him. "Carry on," she urged, nudging his leg with her left foot.

 _When Thursday rolled around and his friends at work, and his roommate still gone, he headed down to the main office for his meeting with Mikki. He smiled at the blonde receptionist, recalling her as Sam's girlfriend._

 _"Hey Britt, I didn't know you worked here," he commented._

 _"I help out when I can," she offered. "I'm taking time off from dancing as we are trying for a baby," she offered. He nodded, not knowing that bit of information about Sam. He didn't even think they were married, or if they were headed in that direction. So hearing they were trying for a baby, that info took him by surprise._

 _"Seb hey," Mikki said, walking into the lobby. "Follow me," she gestured, walking down a narrow hall. "Please sit," she told him, pointing to a chair. "What brings you by? Why are you looking for a new apartment?" She questioned, sitting behind her desk._

 _"The lease is about up on my place now. And with my roommate about ready to get engaged to her boyfriend, I feel like it's my chance to find a new place with a better view than buildings. A river or a park, would be nice to see," he explained. Leaving out the main reason that he wanted to see her again. That his mind had been filled with thoughts of her. Because to him that even screamed creepy._

 _"Let's see what I can find and we might be able to have a look at them today," she offered, turning her attention to her computer screen._

"Hold up," she stated, putting a pause to his story. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You knew Hunter was going to propose?" She asked in shock, not able to move past that. She was over that information, but to know her best friend knew all along, even after she told him about it and he didn't say anything about knowing, that pissed her off, because he had a chance to say that he knew and not act all shocked by it when she told him.

"Yes," Seb said nodding his head. "He consulted with Jeff who pulled me into the whole thing. Can I get back to the story? Or do I need to inform you on the whole ring situation ?" He questioned.

"I saw the ring, but it wasn't really my type, why didn't you say anything?" She asked, chewing her lip.

"It wasn't my place, Onyx. No one wants their marriage proposal to be ruined. Would you have honestly been okay knowing about it, if he were to have asked?" Seb questioned her.

"It would have been nice if you would have told me you knew after I talked to Hunter," she told him. "And no I don't want to know because it doesn't matter," she stated. "Get back to this story on how you planned on abandoning me."

"It's not like that Onyx, not even close," he sighed. "Can you just let me finish the story and you'll see that I never had any plans of up and leaving you. You're the sister I love dearly, Onyx, I wouldn't leave you. But you have to understand that at some point neither one of us is going to live in this apartment."

"I get that, but you weren't even waiting for me to say I was moving out," she huffed. It may have been talked about from time to time while she dated Hunter, but she hadn't actually confirmed it with Seb, not until after she told Hunter of her decision.

"Dramatic much?" He chuckled. She rolled her eyes urging him to continue on with the story.

 _"I'm starting to see how picky you are," she teased, unlocking a door for the last place. "It's not an apartment but it does cost less than the apartments we have seen today," she explained, giving the door a hard push._

 _"I can see why," he laughed, the door giving away to the rundown one bedroom house. The living room and kitchen separated by a counter, the white linoleum turning a yellowish color. Not to mention the once vibrant blue carpet is now a dull gray color. "I'm sure it could be a wonderful home for a person that has the time and money, but that person isn't me," he said, not even moving to look at the bedroom or the bathroom._

 _"You must have the time since you're here on a Thursday afternoon," she commented._

 _"One of the many perks of being a teacher," he remarked with a smile. "Speaking of it being afternoon, are you hungry?" He questioned moving to the front door. "I am famished."_

 _"Are you asking me out on a lunch date?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, a pink tint to her cheeks._

 _"Yes, I am," he told her. "You up for it?"_

 _"I don't know you. It might not be worth the risk in going out with you," she hesitated, biting on her bottom lip._

 _"I'm not some killer, I swear it. Have lunch with me and you'll get to know me. What's the harm in having lunch in a very public place?" He pleaded, only one step away from begging, just not on his knees, the street might be more cleaner than the floor in the place they were in._

 _"Okay," she gave in. "We'll have lunch, but if I don't like where things are headed I am out of there and you can see another realtor about a place to live. We clear?" She questioned, setting the guidelines down for him._

 _"I'll take it," he agreed, holding the door open for her._

"So you went out to lunch with her, ready to ditch your best friend," she hissed, using her feet to push him off her bed. "You're an ass using that as your excuse to go on a date with her. I don't know what hurts more, the fact you were ready to abandoned me for your girlfriend or the fact you are waiting for me to move out," she snapped, jumping from her bed, grabbing her suitcase from the bottom of her closet, she had two weddings to pack for.

"What are you doing?" He asked, pushing himself up from the floor. Surprised with her reaction. It wasn't as if he was holding information from her, everything he knew she knew and was it so wrong of him to worry about his future in such a way? Because he didn't think that it was. "Don't you think you are I don't know, overreacting?" He questioned.

"I might just move out, since clearly you don't want me here," she snapped, tossing articles of clothing into the suitcase. "Overreacting?" She asked back, stopping to look at him. "Maybe I am, Sebastian, but you met Mikki and that was it, you're ready to be off by yourself or at the very least using the idea to your advantage. You could have gotten a date with her without throwing me out the door," she stated, going back to what she was doing.

"You are being ridiculous, Onyx. I want you here, I have never thought about leaving you for anyone, not once in my life. I was coming from the fact that you were going to be engaged to a guy you loved, and there was going to be no way that I would be able to afford this place without you. I wouldn't do that to you knowing what you went through with your dad," he explained, half tempted to take her clothes from the suitcase and put them away. He wouldn't do that knowing it would piss her off even more.

"Am I really?" She paused in her packing to look at him. "The thing is I would have been okay with this if you had told me when you met Mikki, not hide it from me for five months. You've treated it as a secret, one you never wanted me to know about. Keeping it from me makes it seem like you want to be living on your own, in a crack house somewhere. And I can't get over that," she stated, shutting her suitcase, zipping it closed.

"Where are you going?" He asked, knowing there is no use in talking to her while she is upset and hurt over a deceit he didn't mean to cause for her.

"I have a wedding to attend too, before my mom's wedding," she stated, grabbing anything that she would need that she didn't pack away, placing the items in her bag.

"You don't have to leave, this pissed off, Onyx," he tried again.

She said nothing leaving the place she called home for the past multiple years. The one person that wasn't her family, that she could count on. The walk from her place to her Clint's seemed longer than normal, while fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She wasn't mad at Sebastian, she was more hurt that he wouldn't tell her that hey with how things with Hunter are going I think it would be best if I find a new place to live and you should really consider taking the jump to live with him.

Things might be different if he had gone down that route. And she didn't know how she felt about things being different from how they are now. And Hunter could have always cheated on her while engaged. So the outcome would still be the same.

"Oh hey," she smiled, pushing all thoughts from her mind seeing the person on the other side of the elevator doors when they opened.

"Hey, I was just on my way to get you," he told her. "Everything okay?" He asked, taking notice of the slight red eyes she sported.

"Kinda pissed at Seb," she shrugged. If she talked about this with any of her friends they would tell her she is being silly for even feeling the way she does. Jeff would hear her out, and let her be and come to her own conclusion on the whole mess. Not to mention clear up the bit about Hunter going out and buying a ring for her, a ring he didn't pick out himself.

"Follow me," he said, walking to where the mailboxes took up wall space. She remained quiet following behind him, waiting to hear what he could possible say to her. "Want to explain why you're pissed at your best friend?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "He just kept stuff from me and thought my maybe moving out was the best way to pick up his girlfriend," she told him vaguely.

"Ouch," he stated, grabbing his mail and shutting the door to his mailbox. "This wedding will give you the time to be away from Sebastian where you can think about where he was coming from," he pointed out.

"I won't promise anything," she nodded, stepping into the elevator with him.

"Whatever you wish," he told her softly, pushing the button for his floor.

"I do have to make a stop at a store so I can get a dress for this wedding, as I don't have one for this wedding," she told him, leaning her shoulder against the elevator wall. She would be getting a dress for her mom's wedding when she showed up there.

"We can do that. Either here or Hawaii, if you want," he confirmed.

"I know the perfect place," she told him. "I should at least give my brother a heads up, with the ongoing with Seb." As she did want to talk her brother. When exactly do we leave?" She questioned, needing a bit more of the facts, pushing the button for her brother's floor.

"We leave for the airport in an hour," he said. "And on the flight I will tell you everything you need to know about the bride." An eight-hour flight would be plenty of time to fill her in on what she needed to know about the wedding party, and a bit more about the groom since she already met him.

"Give me five to ten minutes with my brother and I'll meet you in the lobby?" She asked. She did need most of the hour to get the perfect dress for the wedding. The time used wouldn't be for looking for the dress but more of a gossip time with the store owner.

Clint nodded, letting the elevator doors close. Taking a deep breath she headed to her brother's place. She did want to have a little chat about something other than her leaving for a few days.

"I was wondering when you would turn up," Jeff sighed, opening the door for her. "How long are you going to be staying for?"

"I'm not staying," she said, shaking her head, leaving her suitcase by the door.

"You forgave Seb easily enough," Jeff commented with a laugh.

"No I didn't. I am still pissed at him. I just have the wedding with Clint out-of-town. Thought I would remind you so you didn't worry," she told him. "Hunter was going to propose?" She asked, licking her lips.

"I thought we went over this," Jeff sighed. "Onyx, I don't know what you want me to say ," Jeff softly told her.

"We have went over this," she nodded. "But you never told me that you practically picked my ring out," she sighed, turning to leave her brother's place, suitcase in hand.

"I guess I should have told you that when we talked about him proposing, but I didn't think it really mattered, as you're not marrying him," he explained. "Be safe. Call just to let me know you're okay and I'll be seeing you in Ohio," he commented.

"I will let you know," she smiled at him, making her exit. She wouldn't make her brother worry like that.


	17. Chapter 17

"Just the guy I am looking for," Onyx grinned, walking into the small boutique, eyeing a few dresses on her way from the front of the store to the back, Clint following behind her.

"Miss Onyx Sage," the shop owner smiled, pulling her in for a hug. "What type of dress are we searching for?" He asked, looking around at any possibilities.

"A beach wedding," she told him. Any other sort of detail she would have to pull Clint into the conversation, as she hadn't ask for more details than that, until the flight when they literally had nothing but time on their hands.

"And does your friend need anything?" He asked, eyeing the stranger up.

"Clint is fine," Onyx laughed.

"That he is," the shop owner teased, getting Onyx to blush slightly, all while Clint ignored them, sitting in one of the chairs to wait for Onyx to be done. "Where did you find that one?" He inquired, an idea on where they would start to look for the dress she needed would be at.

"The bar of course," she smirked, glancing at Clint who happened to be in his own world on the phone. "Though to be fair I did go to school with him for two years in high school," she shrugged. That fact still amazed her, as they had been in vocal adrenaline together, yet she couldn't recall him.

"You didn't do anything rash did you?" He asked, eyeing her up. "Who am I kidding, I forget it is you after all," he jested, not giving her the time to make any sort of comment on the situation.

"Not funny," she remarked. "And no I haven't done anything rash with him. I am taking things slow as I don't want what we have to crash and burn," she told him. "Now Kurt, lets me get a dress because we have very limited time to do so," she told him, feeling time slip past her giving her no time whatsoever to find the perfect dress for this wedding.

"Then let's get a move on shall we?" He asked, looping his arm through hers and heading to the back of the shop.

She's known Kurt for as long as she has called San Antonio home for. Her first week in the city she came across his little boutique and clicked with him instantly and their friendship blossomed from there, now she can call him a good friend of hers. She had even made sure that his boyfriend was good enough for him, before he took him home to meet his dad and stepmom along with that of his brother.

"I want flowy," she told him. "And lightweight as it is in Hawaii," she told him. "You already know my distaste for any shade of pink," she told him with a shudder.

"Anything else?" He chuckled, looking at the racks of dresses he had in stock.

"Can't think of any," she told him. "You know me and my tastes so I will trust you to an extent," she told him, looking through racks to see if she could find anything else that she might be wanting to buy.

"You've always been a picky one," he teased. "And I don't understand this hatred of pink you have. Because you would look stunning in it," he quickly pointed out before she had a chance to protest him on it.

"That may be so, but I still don't like the color," she stated. "My mom forced me to wear the color like every day when I was young and I like vibrant colors," she shrugged, not understanding where her disdain of pink really stemmed from.

"I remember the dark color phase a few years back," he pointed out, shaking his head at a dress he was looking at.

"My students had a blast with that phase," she laughed, pulling a violet knee-length dress from a rack. Dressing up for that years Halloween had been easy as her students already joked about her being the only vampire in San Antonio. "This one?" She asked, looking in the mirror.

"Cute, but no," he told her shaking his head. "That's more of a first date dress," he said, tilting his head to the side.

"I'll take it," she smiled, glancing at Clint who happened to be engrossed in whatever he is doing on his phone.

"So there is a first date in the near future?" He inquired, pulling a light yellow dress from the rack, thinking better of it he placed it back where he got it from.

"There is," she confirmed with a nod and a blush. "He's different than the others and after the shit storm I went through with Hunter, I like how Clint puts me first and not his own things," she smiled.

"Don't forget that you need to be putting him first," Kurt reminded her, pulling a light blue floral sleeveless maxi dress from a rack. "I think this is the winner," he said, turning to show her.

"It is pretty," she smiled, taking the offered garment and heading to the changing room to try it on. "I know I do, Kurt," she smiled at him, before disappearing inside to try it on. She learned from her mistakes with Hunter and she would approve upon them when it came to whatever sort of relationship she held with Clint.

The way the dress hugged her, the way it swayed when moving about and the breathable fabric made it the perfect dress for her. That's not mentioning the way it made her feel while wearing it. It was a stunning dress and it screamed perfect. She opened the door to let Kurt look but she didn't want Clint to have any amount of glimpses.

Kurt fanned himself seeing his friend looking nothing short of stellar in the dress. He easily agreed it was the dress to be wearing for the wedding. And when she tried the violet dress on, he was right in it being the right dress for a first date, because Clint would be gobsmacked.

* * *

Upon entering the shop Clint saw the chairs at the front of the store and sat down, having a feeling it would be a while if they way Onyx and the shop owner embraced. He let them be, curious to know how they knew each other, but not worried as he pulled his phone out.

 **'HELP ME ! I am in HELL!'** He chuckled under his breath reading his friends text.

 _'I'm positive that hell is a loooot worse than whatever you are sitting through.'_ He quickly typed out hitting send.

 **'Lunch with her parents. Think I am still exaggerating?'** Was the message sent to him within a minute.

 _'Yes! You like her family. Not seeing what is so wrong there.'_ He sent to his friend.

 **'It's dull.'** Had been the message to pop up. Before he could type anything out the dots showed up telling him his friend had more to say in that moment. **'Dude, tell me you invited her along!'** He shook his head, reading the message from Phillip.

 _'Didn't I tell you the answer to that already?'_ He sent back, glancing to see that Onyx was still busy looking for a dress.

 **'I want to make sure, that you didn't bail on her coming.'** He rolled his eyes, reading his friends response.

 _'She'll be there with me. I will be seeing you in a few hours.'_ He quickly sent back to his friend, opening up his browser so he could find a place to go with Onyx on the one night they didn't have a rehearsal dinner or a wedding to attend.

He frowned seeing that Seb sent him a message. **'Promise me, that you'll be there for her!'** Taking a look he could see that Onyx was thinking a dress over so instead of replying back to the other man, he stepped outside, pressing his phone to his ear listening to the phone ring.

"You didn't have to call me," Seb answered the phone.

"I know," Clint told him, leaning against the side of the building. "Figured it best to call as Onyx is looking for a dress to wear for the wedding," he quickly explained, as he didn't have time to trade texts with him, not when Onyx seemed to be wrapping things up.

"Sunshine of Life?" Seb asked, showing just how well he knew his friend. "She does have a bond with Kurt," he said with a nod.

"I won't even ask," Clint laughed into the phone. "Mind telling me what's going on, as I don't have all the time to be talking without her getting suspicious," he commented.

"Right," Seb sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't know what she told you or how much she told you," he started to explain. "Just know that I'm not this bad guy she is making me out to be and please try to remind her of that," Seb stated.

"Seb, I know you're not the bad guy here. And I will try, but I can't guarantee anything," Clint told him. "I hate that she is feeling hurt by what took place between the two of you and I am going to help her move past that. But you have to know that I am with her on this, whatever the whole story is," he stated. He couldn't go against Onyx on this. He wanted her to know that he would stand with her, but in saying that he wanted to push those boundaries back some. He felt that she needed to see rationally on what went on and not him telling her.

"I respect you for that, I do," Seb stated. That's all he ever wanted for his friend, someone to be there for her in the many ways Clint has been. "Just make sure that she is okay and that if she happens to need someone, that you will be there for her. We both know she can act tough and that a lot of things don't bother her, but they really do and I would hate for her to put an act on when you are capable of helping her," Seb said. He has to make sure that his friend would be okay until she decided to talk to him again.

"I, promise you, Seb, that I will take care of her and be there to help her out every step she needs me to," Clint vowed. "And I will try to make her see sense with things, because I do know that she hates this thing as much as you do," he said.

"I don't doubt that for a second, but I should have been upfront with her and explained a few things better than I had," Seb sighed.

"And I am positive that she will give you that chance Seb, you need to be patient. You of all people know how she can be," Clint told him, watching as Onyx paid for her purchases, seeing she had multiple bags.

"I know, but I don't take being in whatever this thing is with her the same way. She needs to wait it out and I am the opposite as I need the problem resolved so we can go on being the friends we are. I have never enjoyed being at odds with her," he explained.

"I do know that feeling and just how miserable it can be," Clint shared. "If I can speed her process along, I will do it," he stated.

"Thanks and I owe you," Seb told him.

"I believe you owe me double now," Clint chuckled. "I did help you win the tournament against Jeff," he pointed out.

"That is true," Seb laughed. "Cash them in when you need a favor or two," he said. "I'll be letting you go, Clint. Bye," he told him.

"Bye, Seb," he stated, seeing Onyx stop and turn back to look at who he now knew as Kurt. "And don't worry about Onyx, I will make sure she is well taken care of," he stated with a smile seeing Onyx smile at him through the front window.

"I'll try not to," Seb confirmed. "And I trust you with this," Seb told him before he ended the call.

"Who were you talking to?" Onyx asked stepping out of the boutique, waving one final time to Kurt.

"You ready to go?" He asked, hoping she followed suit in changing the topic as he didn't want to lie to her and he wasn't sure if he should mention that he had been talking to Sebastian.

"Yep, I have everything I need and more, just have to pack it all away in my suitcase," she told him, trying to visualize if she had enough room for it or if she would have to force it in there.

"I have a bit of room in mine if you need to use it," he told her, seeing the conflict on her face.

"I will use that space if I need it," she told him. "This doesn't mean I forgot you didn't tell me who were talking to," she pointed out, walking to where his car sat parked. "Are you really going to pay for parking?" She questioned, stopping at the trunk of the car, wanting to pack away the two dresses and shoes that went with each dress.

"Yep," he nodded. "I already reserved a spot," he shrugged. "Sebastian, he uh wanted to make sure that you were okay. He's worried about you," Clint told her, deciding to be honest about who he had been talking to. Lying to her wasn't worth it.

Onyx nodded, remaining quiet about it and unzipped her suitcase to carefully place her dresses into the bag, finding she did need that room in his suitcase for her shoes.

Clint let her be, not really sure what he could say and that he didn't think he could say anything, not when it looked like she is deep in thought about what he had told her. He hadn't been lying when he said that he wouldn't push her into any talking about Seb she didn't want to be doing. That is something he was going to let her bring up when the time is right for her.

"I worry about him too," she said chewing her bottom lip on the way to the airport. "He acted like he didn't know about Hunter proposing when he was there to help him pick out the ring. Not only that he used me moving out, which hadn't been decided fully at that time as an excuse to hit on his girlfriend. I feel dirty," she shivered.

"Oh stop it," he laughed, pulling up to a red light. "He didn't mean any harm by what he did as he didn't set out to find a girlfriend using you as an excuse," Clint stated shaking his head, looking at her briefly. "Look at it from his perspective," he tried, moving forward once more now that the light turned green.

"I can understand going out and looking for a new place with the information he had," she told him calmly. That isn't what has her upset the most. She would never expect him to stay in his place if he couldn't afford it with her moving out because that would be the natural thing to do. What he didn't need to be doing is keep the ruse up, he could have told her that it was a possibility he needed a new place, because it hadn't been a sure thing. "I wouldn't have left him high and dry like that and it hurts to know he thinks I would," she confessed.

"Do you really think that he ever had the opportune moment to tell you that he knew about Hunter proposing and that he helped pick the ring out?" Clint asked. "We both know that he doesn't think like that, Onyx. He cares about you as much as Jeff does, maybe more."

"I guess not," she sighed. At no time would she have been okay with that nugget of information. And really Seb had been thinking about her feelings when he didn't say anything when she first learned about the ring, as it was never his place. "I might have been a bit on the overreacting side of things," she confessed. "I care a great deal about him as well, that is why it hurts so much with the way he went about things."

"What, did you want to go along with him?" Clint asked with a teasing tone. "I do think it's quite clear that he was able to get Mikki to be his girlfriend all on his own."

"He sure is growing up fast," Onyx laughed. "I get it, I will talk to him and apologize when I see him next," she stated. She didn't want to make amends with him over the phone, it wouldn't be right to do things that way. "And yes it would have been nice to have a say in this future apartment he so badly thought he would be needing."

"To bad we don't have more time," he started to say, making Onyx curious as to why that is. "If we did you could make amends with him before we leave," Clint told her.

"Honesty, as much as that idea is appealing, I think I would need more than a few minutes and I would hate to be the reason why we miss the flight. It is best we get there when we need to be and not minutes later," she told him. "Thank you for caring so much," she smiled at him.

"Yeah we don't need that," he chuckled, watching the traffic in front them. "No thanks required, Onyx," he told her. "Though you are welcome and I will be here when you need me to be. And yes that includes when you need some sense talked into ya," he teased.

"Joke all you want now, we'll see how you feel when I wake you at like 4 in the morning when you get to bed from running your little club," she remarked.

"I'll keep my phone turned off," he retorted.

"Ass," she laughed, rolling her eyes at him.

* * *

"Is there anything else that I need to be knowing?" She asked, freshening up in the bathroom of the hotel room they were to be sharing for the next few days. He had went over everything that she needed to be knowing on the flight.

"Can't think of anything," he told her, resting against the door jamb watching as she pulled her hair up into a pony. "You about ready?" He asked, checking the time, as he didn't want to be late.

"Yep," she replied, moving past him to grab her small clutch. "Good thing we just have go down to the lobby," she remarked, walking to the door.

"I'd say," he laughed, holding it open for her to walk out first.

They made short work of the distance from their room down to the ballroom where the rehearsal dinner is taking place at.

"Wait!" She quietly exclaimed, not wanting to draw attention to her, pulling Clint to a stop. He looked at her before surveying the room, not seeing the big problem. "You didn't say that anybody named Mason was going to be here," she stated, slightly panicked by that sight.

"Mason?" He questioned, that name unknown to him as he didn't know anyone named Mason.

"So you don't know him?" She asked, as they moved forward heading straight to the open bar to get a drink.

"I couldn't point him out if I wanted too," he assured her. She nodded, keeping herself hidden from her suddenly reappearing ex. "Mind telling me about Mason?" He asked, signaling for the bartender.

"What's there to tell?" She asked, with a sigh.

"A lot with the way you panicked over him being here," he said, ordering a beer for himself and letting Onyx order the drink she wanted when the bartender showed up. "You don't have to tell me anything, I figured you would want to," he told her, thanking the bartender for their drinks. "Ya know a way to get it off your mind and all," he commented.

"Maybe later," she told him. "First I do think that I need to be meeting the bride," she smiled, slipping her arm through his.

"If you ain't careful, people are going to be talking about how we make a cute couple and how we should be the next ones down the aisle," he teased her, a hint of a serious tone to his voice. He knew his friends and a good portion of the people here to help them celebrate their big day, and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable at anytime.

"We do make a cute couple," she smiled at him. "All unmarried couples are the next ones to walk down the aisle, that is how it goes, in my personal experience," she shrugged. "Nothing they say is going to have any sort of effect on me," she promised. She knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to come to Clint's friend's wedding. She was mentally and physically ready for any and all comments of the like.

"You might have a point there," he chuckled, walking up to where the soon to be newlyweds stood talking.

"Hey man," Phillip greeted, hugging his friend. "Onyx, he did say you were coming, but hey here you are," he laughed, pulling his friend's girl of whatever they were calling each other this week into a hug.

"I couldn't let him lie about it," she smiled. "I did feel sorry for him," she shrugged. "Hey Phillip, pleasure as always," she laughed. "You must be the Mrs," she said, looking at the blonde, watching them with amusement dancing behind her green orbs.

"That is me," she laughed. "And you're the one to turn Clint's life upside down, a few times," she remarked.

"That sums it up," she nodded laughing. "But you can call me Onyx," she smiled, introducing herself.

"In that case, Onyx, you can call me Julie," she laughed. "I like her, makes me sad we never got together for that dinner," she frowned.

"We can do it for a day after you get back from your honeymoon," Onyx told her. "I am certain you've been busy these last few months," she waved it off.

"It will have to be a weekend though, as she as has school during the week," Clint stated, wrapping an arm around her.

"High School history, so much fun," she teased. "I can still hang out on school nights," she laughed. "I don't have a curfew and if I am that tired, they will have a quiz, a test, a movie or even a free day to finish any assignments they have missing in my class," she stated.

"I guess that's settled. We'll have to set something up," Julie smiled. "We should get dinner going," she suggested looking at her fiancée. He nodded, excusing themselves to get everyone's attention.

After they ate and a few words had been said, they found themselves on the dance floor for a few songs, laughing and enjoying the beautiful night surrounded by his friends. She had excused herself needing the little ladies room. She stopped at the bar to get another drink when the voice she dreaded to hear since seeing him sounded from behind her.

"I thought that was you," he said gaining her attention. "Onyx, hey, it's been some time," he nodded, spinning his beer bottle in his hands.

"That it has Mason," she nodded, taking her glass and looking at him. "Haven't talked to you since you told me about hooking up with Jane while we were still together. Madison now I have talked to her since then and she still blames me for what went down, not sure why when I did nothing wrong," Onyx shrugged.

"If I would have known that I wouldn't have done anything with him," a woman said, making herself known on the other side of him. "For what it's worth, I am sorry," she apologized.

"Onyx, this is Jane," Mason nervously smiled. "My wife," he told her. "I am sorry about what I did, after all these years I," he sighed, taking a drink of his beer. "I have no excuse for why I did it," he stated.

"I don't think you can have an excuse for cheating," Onyx shrugged. "Congratulations, on getting that happy life we talked about," she told him a bit bitter about it all. She wasn't jealous they had gotten married, bitter that someone else was living the life she so often talked about with Mason. A high school relationship wasn't going to last, that she knew, but it didn't hurt any less.

"I was wondering if you had gotten lost," Clint joked, slipping an arm around her shoulders, feeling how tense she has become.

"Not lost," she told him, shaking her head. "This is Mason and his wife Jane," she told him. "We dated for like two and a half years," she tacked on.

"I feel as if I am missing a very important key detail in this," Clint stated. "I'm Clint, I'm her…"

"He's my boyfriend," she told them, effectively cutting Clint off.


	18. Chapter 18

**It goes without saying that Onyx and anyone else that you don't recognize from Glee belong to me, unless it's Jeremy, and he belongs to _KikiJuanita_ and he can't be used without her permission, like I have to be using him. The rest belong to Glee and their rightful owners. Do enjoy.**

* * *

Clint let the comment about being Onyx's boyfriend rest in the back of his mind the rest of the night wanting to enjoy the rehearsal dinner, wanting the night to be one to remember for his friend. It wasn't until they called it a night that he let himself think more about it. He hoped that she meant what she said, as he didn't know if he could handle it being a lie, to look as if she had someone wanting to show her ex that she was just fine.

"I meant what I said," she stated, walking into the room when he opened the door letting her go in first. "I've done quite a bit of thinking about it, Clint. I am certain I want this relationship with you. Why keep putting this thing between us off any longer?" She asked him, sitting on the bed to undo the straps on her shoes.

"I've been waiting on you, Onyx," he told her. "I don't want you to rush into this because you saw your high school ex have the happy ever after you thought you were getting with him," he carefully told her, undoing the buttons on his dress shirt, leaving them undone, as he moved a chair to sit across from Onyx. "I want you to want this relationship for no other reason than you simply want a relationship with me," he softly told her, hope in his eyes.

"I am not rushing into this," she assured him, placing her hands on his knees. "Seeing Mason with Jane, it showed me that I shouldn't be scared of what we can have, that I shouldn't be scared of you hurting me in that way," she said. "You have proven yourself numerous times and I pushed you away and I don't want to do that anymore Clint. I need to move on, I want to move on. And I want to move on to something amazing with you, if you'll have me," she said.

"I want you, Onyx," he told her, taking her hands in his. "I won't deny my feelings towards you, but I don't want to start dating only for you to pull away because you weren't ready," he stressed. He had been waiting for her to be ready, the last thing he expected was for her to blurt out they were a couple, before they had the chance to discuss it.

"Do you trust me?" She asked, looking him in the eyes. He nodded, because he did trust her, after the jealousy incident of jumping to conclusions he needed to trust her more and he honestly did. "Then trust me on this, because I know I am ready to move on with my life and I want to move on with you," she stressed.

"Okay," he said, tugging on her hands to pull her into his lap, his lips sealing their relationship. They let themselves get lost in the feelings being shared through one simple kiss, the kiss turning more heated, as they stumbled from the chair Clint sat in to the bed before them.

"Clint," she whispered, lightly shoving at his chest. "As much as I would like nothing more than stripping naked and enjoying each other in a different way, I am not ready to have sex with you," she told him. There were plenty of times that she would jump right into bed with someone, but that wasn't when she was trying to have a serious relationship with someone. She didn't want the sex to ruin what they have or for their relationship to become all about sex. She wanted to enjoy Clint for who he is and not the ways he could pleasure her.

"I respect that," he told her, his head falling back to the pillow behind him, as he pulled his girlfriend closer. "I can wait," he said, placing a kiss to the top of her head. He didn't want to rush into anything not when it could ruin everything he has been working towards for the past nearly three months now.

"Are you mad?" She asked, having gotten up to get dressed for bed, along with brushing her teeth, leaving her hair up for the night. She easily snuggled back up to him, as he too had gotten ready for bed like she had done.

"About what?" He asked, instead of out right answering her question.

"Can we not do that?" She asked, moving to look up at him. "Are you mad that I stopped this from going any further? Are you mad that I didn't talk to you about taking that step into a real relationship? Pure and simple are you mad?" She asked him.

"How can I be mad when I have you?" He inquired. "Do I wish you would have talked to me about wanting to be a real couple? Yes, but you didn't and we talked about it and things are good, I am not mad about it," he clarified for her. "To be mad that you don't want to have sex yet, that is rather a stupid thing to be pissed over. I have nothing to be mad about so stop stressing over it," he told her.

"It's just that you've been quiet so I figured you were mad," she told him with a small shrug.

"That's not why I have been quiet, Onyx," he told her. "I've just been thinking about how we are going to go about telling your family, is all," he confessed.

"We let our actions do the talking. We don't have to make a big spectacle of us, not when it's about my moms. When they all ask, we tell them the truth," she stated. She didn't want to make a big deal about dating Clint, not when they were gathering to celebrate her moms. She couldn't make their day about her.

"Okay," he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead. "I will follow your lead. It is your family after all," he stated. He was fine with how she proposed to announce them being a real couple, as she wasn't trying to hide they were together in that way from her family, she was happy to call Clint hers and vice versa.

* * *

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony, promises spoken, brought a tear to Onyx's eyes as she sat a few rows back on the groom side, having been told before the wedding to sit wherever she wanted to, she, however, felt more comfortable sitting on the groom side as she knew him a bit better than she did the bride.

"Mind if we talk?" Mason asked timidly, coming to stand next to Onyx, as she waited for her boyfriend who happened to be talking with his friends, deciding on when they wanted to give their speech to the newlyweds.

"Sure," she nodded, moving further away from everyone, which resulted in them exiting the reception completely and sitting in the sand on the beach. "I wasn't expecting that you would want to to talk after last night," she told him, not wanting things to get any more awkward than they already were.

"I felt guilty and now that I can do this in person, I can't let it slip past me," he told her.

"You should feel guilty," she retorted. "You were supposed to love me, and the last I checked you don't go around cheating on the person you love," she stated. And maybe that was the new norm as Hunter had done it as well.

"I did love you," he stressed. "In that high school sort of way, where we didn't know what real love truly was," he sighed.

"That doesn't make cheating any better," she huffed out.

"No, it doesn't," he agreed. "And I am sorry. I should have been honest with Jane from the start and I should have ended things with you. But as much as I am at fault here, you weren't a saint," he pointed out.

"What did I do?" She snapped. "I was loyal, I stuck with you when Madison threw a fit and I had to pick between you and her," she tossed out.

"Yeah but she came around," Mason pointed out. Onyx nodded. "Our relationship was over with months before I hooked up with Jane. And every time we were to actually talk before we both left for college, you came up with excuses not to," he shared.

"Was that when you were going to break up with me?" She inquired. "Because you always said it wasn't important," she reminded him.

"No," he sighed. "I didn't want to break up with you then," he shared. "I was going to do it over spring break, but we know how that turned out," he sighed.

"Your sister," she nodded. "I don't know why she blames me for what happened," she stated. "I know I can be blamed for not communicating with you, but I didn't drive you to hook up with Jane," she said, feeling as if they had been going in circles.

"I take blame for messing up the way I did, I was in the wrong. I shouldn't have done it," Mason told her. "I am sorry for how it went down. That was never my intention, I wanted to remain friends, we were friends first. I didn't want to ruin that," he sighed.

"We can start over," Onyx told him softly. "I am over it, honestly, I've been over it. Thank you for the apology, but being friends again, that sounds really good right now," she smiled. "Other than Seb we had been thick as thieves, when Maddison left us to it," she laughed.

"My sister hadn't been very found of the friendship we had before we started to date," he laughed. "I would like that. Being friends again. That is if your boyfriend is okay with it," he said with a frown.

"As much as I like and respect Clint, he gets very little say in who I can be friends with," she told him. It wasn't that she didn't respect Clint and his opinion, because she did. But she wasn't going to let anyone tell her that being friends with Mason was wrong. She was over him cheating on her, it was so long ago that it didn't hold her back from anything. Though having that closure was nice to have. "Is it going to cause a problem with Jane?" She asked, she didn't want to put Mason in that place. "I understand if you have to pick your wife," she stated.

"She's okay with it," Mason confirmed. "You've been the hot topic last night and this morning," he nodded, handing his phone over.

"Don't let it ruin your marriage, dude," she stated, easily putting her number into his phone. "Even I can see you two have a good thing going," she told him, handing his phone back.

"You've got a good thing with Clint," Mason nodded. "Do you not have your phone on you?" He asked.

"Nope, left it in the hotel room. Didn't need it at a wedding," she told him, he nodded, sending a quick message to her phone, so she'll have his number. "I hope so, but things with Clint are still fairly new," she commented, getting up. "And at this point he's going to start to worry and I don't want him to panic when he can't find me anywhere," she told him.

"I should get back to Jane," he nodded. "We should find some time to hang out," he commented, walking next to her.

"Unless you made a move to Texas, it might be a bit hard to hang out," she told him.

"Yeah, I still live in Chicago," he replied. "We'll figure something out, that I am sure of," he commented.

"Maybe," she nodded. "Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked. "I met your family, and none of them are here."

"Jane and Julie have been best friends since they were like ten. They never lost contact with each other, even if they did grow apart over the years," he shrugged. "I was going to question how you knew the bride and groom, but I got my answer seeing your boyfriend as the best man," he laughed, pulling the door open for the room the reception is at.

"Yeah, best friends since like forever," she laughed.

"Speaking of best friends, how are things with Sebastian?"

"Better than ever," she nodded. "We're roommates now, but I honestly don't think it's going to be much longer," she commented, having a gut feeling that he would be moving in with Mikki sooner rather than later with the way they were head over heels in love with each other. "Not all of us find our soulmate freshmen year of college," she teased him, showing just how much she was over the whole cheating thing, giving a small wave to her boyfriend.

"I will let you get back to your soulmate, while I go track mine down," he smiled, sharing a hug with her.

She didn't get the chance to say anything about Clint being her soulmate. She was going to protest it, because it was by far too soon into their relationship to know if he is her soulmate, not that she would mind as she does feel a pull toward Clint, something she hasn't felt with anyone else she has dated in the past. Maybe just maybe Mason is onto something.

"Everything okay?" Clint asked, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her back flush against his front, bending his head down to whisper in her ear. He was clearly enjoying the perks of officially dating Onyx.

"Uh, yeah," she nodded, resting her hands on his arms. "Talked with Mason and we're going to be friends again or friends the best you can be living states away," she told him looking at him the best she could with the way they stood.

"Do think that is a good idea?" He asked with a frown. He didn't know what to think because all he knew about Mason was that he had cheated on and hurt Onyx and he couldn't imagine being friends with an ex that treated him that way.

"I don't know if it is or not, but we had been friends before I started to date him. Is it wrong of me to want old friends back in my life?" She asked.

"No there is nothing wrong with it," he assured her. "It goes to show how amazing you are for being able to forgive him after everything he put you through. What about Madison?" He asked. "He is the one with the twin sister right?" He frowned, recalling as much detail about Mason as he could.

"Yes," she let him know. "And frankly I don't care what Madison thinks," she shrugged. "I know what I want and what feels right," she told him.

"Yeah, and what feels right?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Right now?" She asked, moving from his embrace and taking his hand to pull him out to the dance floor. "I want to dance with my boyfriend," she smiled.

"I can do that," he smiled, kissing her as he pulled her in close as a slow song started to play.

The rest of their night had been done so on the dance floor, stopping every now and again to get something to drink. They had waited as long as they could before calling it a night but with Onyx falling asleep in his arms on the floor he knew it was time to get her up to their room so she could sleep in a bed curled up to him and not standing up as they swayed to the music being played.

* * *

"Morning," she mumbled into his chest. Clint laughed, rubbing a hand over her back.

"Babe, I hate to inform you, it's going on two in the afternoon," he said, moving the clock by the bed for her to see.

"You could have woken me," she told him, stretching out which resulted in her moving closer to him, practically sprawled out on top of him, her chin resting on his chest as she looked at him.

"Figured you could use the sleep and you looked peaceful," he shrugged. "I didn't mind," he smiled, pulling her up to share a kiss with her.

"That and you woke up shortly before I did," she remarked, breaking the kiss.

"There is that," he chuckled. "So what do you want to do with the time we have left here?" He asked. Tomorrow morning they would be going their separate ways. As she needed to be in Ohio days before her mom's wedding and he needed to be in Texas to do a bit more work on his club before meeting up with her in Ohio the day before the wedding.

"Explore, going surfing," she suggested. "At this point I am not all that picky with what we do as long as we do it together," she told him.

"Someone is being in a clingy mood today," he joked, kissing her forehead.

"Me?" She laughed. "You can't keep to yourself. You're the definition of clingy," she teased.

"I blame you," he smirked.

"I can go out exploring on my own," she warned, making no real attempt to leave from his embrace.

"I doubt that," he laughed. "But if we do anything other than lay around, we should get up and get ready. We do need to be back here by 5 to get ready for dinner," he informed her.

"Is that so? You have a date all planned out?" She asked sitting up. He nodded, following her lead and sitting up. "Then you can finalize that while I go take a shower and get ready for our afternoon adventure," she told him, kissing his cheek, as she slipped from the bed, going to a suitcase to pick out what she wanted to wear along with everything she would be needing for her shower and after her shower.

They walked around, holding hands as they ate shaved ice, the summer sun heating them up in the wrong way, as they played the tourists they truly were. They never made it to the beach as they enjoyed walking around and seeing the island that way, making sure to stay hydrated as they did so, even stopping once to get a small bite to eat.

Their date night gave her the perfect chance to wear the dress she brought along, having loved it too much to leave it behind. She was rather excited for their first official date.

"You're not even going to ask where the date is taking place at?" He inquired, as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.

"Should I?" She asked, casting a glance at him. "I assume in a matter of minutes we're going to be there, I don't think I need to pester you about where dinner is going to be, only to find out before you ever tell me," she told him.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Most women would want to know," he said. All his girlfriend's wanted to know every little surprise he had planned for them.

"The thing is I am not like most women. I happen to love a good surprise," she informed him. The only time she didn't like surprises were when they went south and she was left hurt because people were being stupid.

"I'm starting to see that," Clint smiled, pulling his hand from hers and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, she easily slipped her arm around his waist. "I'll make sure to have good surprises for you, they're the only kind you deserve," he replied, kissing her head. Even he knew that she has had a lot of sour surprises and he wanted to remedy that.

"You're starting to become the best boyfriend I have ever had," she beamed up at him, as they came to a stop to wait their turn to cross the road.

"Now that's a title to keep," he smirked. She rolled her eyes, bumping him lightly. "So you're going to talk to Seb when you get back, right?" He inquired, as it was safe for them to walk across the street.

"Yes," she sighed, nodding her head. She did need to talk to him about things that had went on with Mason, she had been itching to call him the first night she had spotted Mason. He knew the full extent of everything that had went on, the same for her brother and it was hard not calling either one of them up to get their opinion on the matter.

"I only ask because I know how much he means to you and I don't want to see you hurt any longer over this," he replied, pulling her close.

"And that is sweet of you," she smiled, looking up at him. "But I honestly don't think that anything can ruin the friendship I have with him, especially after dealing with his brother," she remarked. If she could endure Jeremy and the crap he put their friendship through, than nothing would ruin or break the bond she has with Seb.

"Jeremy couldn't have been that bad," he commented.

"You don't know him," she retorted. "It took him a while to fully believe that we were only ever going to be friends and that no sort of benefits would ever take place between us," she told him. Benefits she never once thought about diving into, as Seb easily became another brother to her early on in their friendship.

"I firmly believe that guys and girls can be friends," he said, pulling open the door for the restaurant they would be eating at for the night. "You and Seb are testament to that," he said, stepping up to the maître d'. "Reservation under Berry," he gave.

"Right this way," she smiled, having looked at the list of names before her.

"When did you change your last name?" She asked, as that hadn't been the name in the year books. They had put in what they wanted to drink before she ever asked the question.

"After high school, it was when I was taking a year off from school. I realized in that time that my parents didn't want anything to do with me, so the need to change my name was one I wanted to do as the Berry men were more my parents than my real ones had ever been," he explained. It was something he had come to terms with and didn't let it bother him. He was better off without them in his life, that he knew for sure.

"That's gotta be tough and I am sorry," she told him, as their drinks were placed before them.

"You have no reason to be sorry, babe," he said, taking her hand in his. "I am not because I was given a better family. It worked out for the best," he assured her, flipping through the menu, Onyx following suit.

She let it go because she didn't have any other input on the topic, he was the one that had to come to terms with it and he had, and she wanted to enjoy their first date with him and not dwell on his past family drama that had no effect on him whatsoever. She wanted it to be a night to remember and not one that turned out to be horrible.

"What are you doing?" She playfully asked, seeing him come to a stop in front of their hotel room, turning to face her instead of unlocking the door.

"It goes against every rule to have a date, a first date at that and not have a goodnight kiss," he coyly told her.

"Is that so?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. He nodded, stepping closer, running his hands down her arms, lacing their hands together.

"And the best way to achieve said kiss, is to have it here before retiring to our room for the night," he told her.

"How can I argue that logic?" She asked, moving closer to him.

"You can't," he replied, closing the distance, his lips softly caressing hers.

She smiled pulling away from him. It was the perfect kiss to end such an amazing first date. It didn't even matter that they would be heading into the hotel room together, or that they would curl up in bed and more than likely find a movie to watch. A movie she would more than likely fall asleep while watching.


	19. Chapter 19

**Like always Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita along with that of the Smythe family; Seb being the only exception there. There's a character being talked about that hasn't been named, that belongs to her as well and you do need to be asking her for permission to use any of her characters. Onyx is mine along with Jade and Lydia who if you wish to use need to be given permission by me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"I figured Clint would have been with you," her mother commented, helping her get her bags into the trunk of her car. "Can he not make the wedding?" She asked her daughter.

"Yes, he can make it," she assured her mom. " He has things to do before he can come," Onyx informed her, shutting the trunk and walking around the car to get into the passenger seat, reaching for the seat belt to buckle up.

"You had fun, right?" She asked, wanting to know that her daughter enjoyed her time on the island. "Did you catch the bouquet?" Her mother asked her while starting to the car, wanting to know the details of the trip her daughter took.

"Fun, yes," Onyx nodded. "Thankfully, no," she said, not really how sure she how her catching the bouquet would have went down with just starting to date to Clint. Not that it really meant she would be the next one to get married. "A bridesmaid caught the bouquet," she said. "Mason was there," she tossed out, casually.

"Oh really?" Her mom asked, refusing to question her daughter further on that topic. A tactic she has come to master over the years.

"Yep. He married Jane. As much as I hated that woman when she was the other women, she makes him happy," Onyx nodded, finding it harder than it should be to remain quiet about the whole situation.

"Is that so?" Jade asked her daughter, coming to a stop at a red light. "You didn't kill her or anything of the sort did you?"

"Thanks for the faith, Mom," Onyx laughed. "And for the record no, I didn't kill her. She is now on her way back home with her husband," she stated. "But I don't know if I made the right decision as I have agreed to be his friend again. Do you think that it was stupid of me?" She asked, chewing her lip. At the time it felt right but the hours she sat on the plane to head to her childhood home she started to second guess if she had made the right choice.

"Sweetie, that isn't my place to say," Jade told her daughter. "I don't know Mason these days. Obviously, you knew that you wanted that friendship back in your life. I can't say if it was a good idea or not," she explained. She wanted to tell her daughter the right thing to do, but she couldn't do that.

"That doesn't help me, I really need my best friend," she sighed. "I am thankfully for what advice you gave me, but it doesn't help as I am lost on if I did the right thing or not," she explained, not wanting to hurt her mom's feelings.

"I know that Onyx, like I told you I can't say for sure on what the right move is, only you know that," her mom stated, taking a left instead of a right.

"Uh where are we going?" She asked with a frown. "The last I checked we lived in the opposite direction," she commented, looking at her mom.

"Did you forget where the Smythe's live?" Her mom asked with a smirk.

"No," Onyx replied. "What I don't understand is why are we going there?"

"Seb came to town yesterday, bringing his lovely girlfriend with him. Do you really get along with her?" Her mom asked, pulling up to the curb outside of the Smythe resident.

"I do. She is awesome," Onyx smiled. "It is nice to know that he introduced her to his parents sooner than planned," she nodded. "But I don't need to be here mom. I can talk to Seb tomorrow," she stated.

"Nonsense, tomorrow we gotta get you a dress for the wedding. Tonight I am having dinner with Lydia, so it's fine really," her mom assured her.

"Don't be twisting my arm," Onyx laughed. "But I don't know if I really want to be intruding," she sighed.

"Onyx Sage, when have you ever cared about intruding when it comes them?" Her mom asked holding her laughter in.

"Never," Onyx laughed, pushing the car door open. "I'll see you back at home later," she told her mom.

Walking into the Smythe resident had been something she has done for years as they insisted as they all grew rather retired of opening the door for her every time she came over and she had blended right in becoming family to them, telling her she was welcomed anytime. They had went as far as giving her a key.

"Don't you have parents?" Dylan teased, spotting her first, getting up to greet her.

"Oddly enough she kicked me out of the car, saying you can deal with me for the night," she remarked, hugging him back.

"We'd like our money back," Jeremy remarked.

"Is that what your parents tell you?" She asked sweetly. "Where are your parents?" She asked seeing that it was just Jeremy and Dylan in the living room.

"Our dear little brother brought his girlfriend home so they're out back getting to know her," Dylan commented, something she already knew. She just didn't know why the two older brothers were sitting by themselves. "You can go on through if you want, but be warned," he laughed.

"You guys got into trouble and are now hiding out in the living room after a good stern warning from your dad, right?" She asked with a laugh seeing the matching looks on the brother's faces.

"We tease, it's what we do. Not our fault that they couldn't take a joke," Jeremy sighed. "And you're wrong it was mom," he stated dejectedly. "You are free to stay here where the life of the party is," he offered.

"As much fun as sulking looks to be, I'll pass," she nodded. "We can catch up later," she stated, making her way through the living room, stopping in the kitchen to get a drink, before stepping outside. "Hey," she said, stepping onto the porch, getting the attention of the four out there.

"What are you doing here?" Seb asked, shaking his head at the way his question came out. "Shouldn't you be hanging out with your mom?" He asked instead, not sure if that was better or not.

"Date night with Lydia," she nodded. "And I didn't think you guys would mind, but I can hang out in the living room and sulk like the oafs in there," she shrugged.

"Nonsense, you're always welcomed to join us, you're a daughter to us," Abby told her. She always wanted a daughter, only given boys, so having Onyx around, it has been nice. "I assume you have met Mikki?"

"I have," she nodded, taking up an empty seat, sending Mikki a smile.

"Seb told us that you were in Hawaii for a wedding. How was that?" Henry questioned.

"Fun," she nodded, chewing her lip. "Interesting, as I came home with a friend that happened to be an ex," she tossed out, looking at Seb. She really wanted to talk to him, but she wasn't about ready to pull him away from his parents while they got to know his girlfriend.

"What ex did that happen to be?" Seb asked intrigued. "How do you even run into an ex at a wedding where you only know a couple of people?" He asked with a chuckle. Because leave it to Onyx to find herself in that spot.

"His wife is friends with the bride," she explained. "You remember Mason, right?" She asked, glancing to the drink in her hands. "But uh, that doesn't matter right now," she waved it off. "It's not about me, you guys were clearly in the middle of something when I came out here," she stated, not needing the time to be taken away from Mikki. She could find time later to talk to her best friend about her personal problems.

"I remember him clearly," Seb said, annoyed with that name. "And Mikki was telling us about her parents place. Did you know that they help out troubled teens and that is how Artie meet his wife?" He asked her.

"I haven't meet Artie so I didn't know that. I knew Mikki grew up on a ranch, but that was the extent of it," she nodded.

"Kitty, was terrible, and I don't think she really changed. The only difference is that now we have gotten a chance to know her, and it was a lot of misunderstanding as she can be really brash all of the time," Mikki explained.

"I am sure your brother has a good choice in the women he dates and marries, so I don't think she can be all that terrible," Onyx nodded. "Is there horses on the ranch?" She asked. Mikki nodding to confirm that yes they did have horses. "Do me a favor and when Seb goes home with you to meet your parents, that you get him on a horse and record it for me," she laughed, looking over at her best friend.

"Why?" Mikki asked, looking around at the table seeing the amused looks around the the table except for Seb who happened to be shaking his head.

"You can go join my brothers," Seb stated. "They'd like the company."

"When Seb was growing up he rode a horse for the first time and he somehow ended up in the creek. He refuses to go near them," Henry explained to the young women with a soft chuckle recalling that memory fondly.

"I told you guys the horse laid down," Seb sighed. "And I haven't had the need to ride a horse around town. The kids at school would love to see their teacher ride a horse to teach them," he sarcastically told them.

"It would make for an interesting day of gossip," Onyx laughed. "And I told you when the horse laid down to stay on her and not get off," she sighed.

"That was your mistake. You should have stayed on her," Mikki told him. "You wouldn't have ended up in the creek. You need to listen more often," Mikki told him with a sweet smile. "Does he never listen?" She asked the table.

"Only when it benefits him," Jeremy stated, walking back out. "We promise no more crude jokes at the expensive of your little brother. That's what we have Onyx for," he teased.

"Jeremy, I would have loved to see you with a little sister. It would make you all sorts of uncomfortable," she smiled at him.

"I doubt it," Jeremy shrugged. "I do just fine with my niece," he pointed out.

"Yeah but she doesn't force you to play Barbie's and have tea parties. A little sister would have done that," Dylan stated, having done both with his daughter.

"Oddly enough I could see Jeremy wearing a pink sparkly tiara with a matching princess sash," Mikki teased.

"That would have been Seb, as she would have been closer to his age," Jeremy said shaking his head. "And I hate you," he smirked at his brothers girlfriend.

"Feelings mutual then," she remarked.

"She would've had Seb but you as well. Nothing is better than having two big brother's to play with or even three for that matter. Ask Jeff how having a little sister worked for him growing up," Onyx stated.

"To be fair he had to deal with you," Jeremy commented.

"So did you," Seb laughed. "You saw her more than Jeff did after we became friends. And wasn't it you that pleaded with us to go on your blind date with your now girlfriend?" Seb smartly asked his brother.

"I forgot about that," Dylan laughed.

"I didn't. I am still scarred over seeing Jeremy being all sweet and flirty," Onyx shivered, recalling that night. "But I don't think Mikki really wants to listen to us bicker," she stated.

"Oh I don't mind," Mikki said shaking her head. "Reminds me of my family," she smiled. "We've taken in a stray now and then," she teased, hoping she didn't over step.

"Even Mikki agrees that you need to go home, Onyx," Jeremy smirked.

"Ever think she's talking about you?" Onyx laughed. "I don't mind being the stray, at least I know everyone loves me for me and not because they have too," she remarked. "Can you say the same Jere?" She teased.

"And here I thought we could have a civilized dinner meeting our youngest son's girlfriend," Henry sighed, a smile gracing his lips.

"We've never had a civilized dinner since Dylan was born," Abby stated.

"Here that Dyl, it's been you all along," Jeremy laughed.

"If you and Seb ever have kids, if you make it that far, this is your life if you have one boy," Onyx commented.

"Girls it is," Mikki laughed.

"That isn't much of a guarantee either. They could turn out worse," Seb pointed out.

"Don't say that," Mikki groaned, dropping her head to the table.

"Nice going, you broke your girl," Onyx commented.

"Sweetie, Seb told us what happened with Hunter, we're sorry," Abby told her.

"Thank you, but what happened was for the best and I am over it," Onyx smiled.

"What exactly happened with Clint in Hawaii?" Seb asked, eyeing his best friend up.

"Mikki tell us more about this ranch you grew up on," she said looking to Mikki, not wanting to tell them she is now dating Clint, as didn't know what their reactions were going to be. That and she liked that no one else knew.

Mikki went on to explain the ranch and all of things that Seb could expect when she took him home. Everyone wanting pictures and videos as Seb hasn't always been good around barnyard animals of any kind.

* * *

As fun as it had been to hang out with that of the Smythe family, she did need to be getting back to her mom's place.

"How'd you get out without your better half?" Onyx questioned as Seb drove.

"She wanted to shower and read a bit from her book, before calling it a night. It's been a long day for us," he nodded. "Onyx, about the way we left things, I didn't start to date Mikki for any other reason than I like her," he started to explain having a whole speech planned out.

"I know that," Onyx nodded. "I was the one to overreact about it. If I ever find myself in the place you were in, I would have done the same thing. You were making sure that you had a place after I moved out, even if we never talked about it. But to be fair you thought I would be engaged to Hunter right now. I can't be mad at you over that, it isn't fair of me. I was in the wrong. Forgive me?" She asked, tossing his speech right out the window.

"Always," he smiled. "I need a bit more information on this thing of being friends with Mason," he commented.

"We talked," she shrugged. "He apologized for cheating and really our relationship was over with before he ever cheated on me. We just didn't take the time we needed to sit down and talk about things or make that call to break up," she told him. "We missed the friendship we had and decided to be friends again. Nothing to scandalous went on between us," she laughed. "Though I've been wondering if it was the right thing to do," she sighed.

"Being friends with an ex can be tricky especially if they cheated on you. Who is his wife?" Seb asked, putting a hold on the advice he wanted to give her. He needed to be knowing all of the facts.

"Jane," she told him. "And they make a lovely couple," she told him taking his defense in the situation. Who Mason married hadn't been up to her and she is happy for him. No bitter feelings about the relationship he has with his wife.

"Obviously you didn't feel bad or guilty about being his friend, why now?" Seb asked, taking a different approach.

"I got to thinking on the flight," she shrugged, not able to offer up any more info than that.

"And you let yourself get the best of you, making you think that you shouldn't be friends with Mason because he hurt you. But Onyx he can't hurt you. You're not going to start up an affair to get back at Jane are you?" He asked. He knew she wouldn't do anything of the sort but he had to make sure.

"No. Why can't you have a bit more faith in me?" She asked him. "I know how crumby it is to be cheated on, I won't ever be in that situation," she stated. "I know he can't hurt me. As we have both moved on," she smiled. "After thinking it was the wrong thing to do, it is nice to hear that I didn't screw things up by being his friend," she smiled.

"I have all the faith in the world in you," he responded. "Being friends with an ex isn't that big of a deal. Like at you and Rory," he said as an example. "Now tell me what happened in Hawaii to put that big ol' grin on your face," he laughed, parking the car by the curb of her Jade and Lydia's house.

"I've got myself a boyfriend," she smiled. The need to tell someone to big to keep to herself. Seb raised an eyebrow, Onyx not letting him question her. "I told Mason that Clint was my boyfriend when he wasn't and after talking with Clint later in the night, we decide to move forward in a fully working dating relationship," she explained.

"I am happy for you, Onyx. I know how happy he makes you and from what I have seen and gotten to know, you make him as equally happy," Seb smiled.

"Thanks, Seb," Onyx smiled, leaning across the middle of the car to hug him. "Looks like I gotta go, Jeff is getting restless," she laughed, seeing her brother come out of the house. Looking all sorts of uneasy. "I am not in high school and he really is only a friend," she teased, getting many déjà vu moments with Jeff standing on the porch waiting on her.

"I'm not worried," Jeff sighed, taking a seat on the steps, Onyx sitting next to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, resting her head against his shoulder. "Where's Sugar?"

"Texas," Jeff nodded.

"And why is she there and not here as your plus one?" She asked her brother. As the wedding was only that of family as they didn't want a wedding any bigger than that.

"We're taking a break," Jeff told her hanging his head. "I messed up and I don't know what I want anymore," he cryptically told her.

"I need to know more than that," she told him. Her faith in him slowly fading away. "How did you mess up?"

"There's this music director and she's great. Easy to get along with," he explained with a smile. "And she's a flirty person naturally and I've been flirting with her," he said.

"Did you tell her that you had a girlfriend?" Onyx asked her brother.

"I mentioned it once, but I didn't put a stop to her flirting as she would have stopped," Jeff informed her.

"Instead you encouraged her," Onyx filled that blank in. Jeff nodded, not wanting to voice his agreement. "And you feel guilty and you told Sugar and she's giving you the space that you need to figure out your feelings," Onyx guessed.

"You'd be right," Jeff again agreed with her assessment of the situation. "I just don't know what I want to do. I thought I loved Sugar, but here I am thinking I have feelings for someone else. What do I do, Onyx?" He pleaded.

"Give it a couple of days, for starters," Onyx told him. "And then go to lunch with the coworker of yours and see what could be there outside of work. After all it could be nothing and something that you are overreacting about."

"What about Sugar?" He asked. "I care about her. I don't want to hurt her."

"You might not get a say in that, Jeff," Onyx sighed, feeling for her brother in that moment. "I don't know this co-worker of yours so I can't say what the right thing is for you. You really do need to sort out your feelings," Onyx stated.

"I know," Jeff told her. "What's new with you?" He asked.

"I made the stupid or maybe the not so stupid choice to be friends with Mason again," she said.

"Hard to say," Jeff told her. "Misery loves company," he muttered, resting his head atop hers.

* * *

She sat at the airport waiting on her boyfriend to arrive. As it was with his plane being delayed had made them late for dinner. Her mom was going to be mad that she had to keep pushing the time back, but it wasn't as if she was at fault and she kept her family updated on the situation. Clint's plane should have been in over a hour and half ago having been delayed in Texas. Making his four hour flight into one of being over six and half hours long.

"Been here long?" He asked, stepping up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, placing a kiss to her neck, as she wrapped up the call to her mom letting them know that Clint's flight finally landed.

"A few hours," she replied, turning in his arms, locking hers behind his neck to share an overdue kiss. "Any other bags?" She asked.

"Nope," he replied, removing her arms to lace is free hand with hers so they could leave the crowded airport and make the drive back to her moms house.

"Alright, let's go before they push back dinner any later," she told him, walking through the crowd of people, leading him straight to where she parked her mom's car at as she quickly explained to him what she meant.

The car drive was spent catching up over what they had missed out on while apart. Clint telling her how his club is coming along and that it would be ready to open a week and half before the opening. She informed him that she had made up with Seb and all was good there.

"I didn't know you two were dating," Jeff commented, watching the way his sister and Clint were always touching over the last 24 hours. Spending time with them he knew they didn't act like that when they had whatever the deal was.

"We talked in Hawaii," she shrugged. "I need to move on and not stay hung up on Hunter and I really like Clint," she smiled, kissing his cheek.

"As I really like your sister," Clint replied. "We're not going to have a problem now that I am dating your sister are we?" Clint asked.

"Nope, as long as you treat her right," Jeff respond. "You saw the bar filled with guys that have known Hunter since grade school ready to pummel him for hurting your girl, I think you can work out what will happen to you if you hurt her," Jeff smirked, drinking his coffee.

"Not much imagination needed there," Clint responded. "Not that I have any desire to hurt her," he informed Jeff, sitting across from him at the kitchen table.

"Ya know what, you guys can keep up this little guys talk, while I get ready for a wedding that takes place in a little less than two hours," she shared, taking her cup of coffee with her to get ready for her mom's wedding.

Between getting ready for the wedding and watching her mom get married to her best friend, Onyx was rather happy her makeup was water proof with the tears that spilled over and the ones that wanted to do so but she was able to hold back from falling over the brink.

"You look beautiful," Clint told her, as he held her closer as they lightly swayed to the music being played.

"Even though I've been nothing short of a crying mess today?" She asked, pulling away slightly to look at him.

"You look your best when you're a mess," he stated, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"That's a lie and you know it," she told him raising an eyebrow.

"No it's not," he argued. "You were a mess when we became friends, and you were a mess over Mason when we became a couple. I rather like it when you're a mess," he chuckled, pecking her nose lightly.

"I guess you know the mess you're walking in to," she remarked, playing with what little hair he had on the back of his neck. "But I am not always a mess," she informed him.

"I do know that," he laughed. "And I am okay with it and I do know what I am walking into," he informed her.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Firstly I want to say that this chapter has mention of a woman's menstrual cycle, so if that isn't for you, I am sorry, but it's natural and a big part of life and something that I feel fits into this chapter.**_

 _ **Secondly Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita and can't be used without her permission. Onyx is mine and if you do so wish to use her, ask. The rest belong to Glee.**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Do you want to talk about it?" Onyx asked, having gotten up from her friend's couch to get them another glass of wine.

It was a day after getting back to town before she called her friend up to see how she is with the break up. She didn't get the time to rest from the craziness of her mom's wedding. Not that the wedding was crazy as it was beautiful and she shed a few tears but it was that final day that happened to be crazy and she didn't get much sleep as the reception kept going even if it was just her, Jeff and Clint hanging out in the backyard. Mix in the early morning plane ride home, all she wanted to do was sleep and not freight over a break up. Not when things were going good for her in the boyfriend department.

She found it harder to exercise caution with what was said as in this case she couldn't pick one side over the other and she shouldn't have to do such a thing as she can support both her friend and her brother. She wanted to support her brother and her friend and she should be able to do so. In doing that lead to an afternoon of drinking wine and watching rom-com movies.

"I can't make him stay," Sugar shrugged. "I've accepted it for what it was. As much as I like your brother, I don't think he was the one," she stated, sipping her wine. "It hurts, but not like it should, ya know?" She asked looking over at her friend.

She got it, because that is how she felt with Rory and when she dated Ryder. That relationship lasted six months and they broke it off because that spark wasn't there like it had been in the beginning of their relationship.

"I thought you were smitten and in love with Jeff?" She asked, reaching for the chips.

"I thought so too. I can't explain it, Onyx," she sighed, dropping her head on the back of the couch. "Dating Jeff was nice, but there was something missing. And I want that feeling of a wholeness while dating a guy. We started dating and things moved so fast that we were forced to slow down. Onyx, I was devastated to learn he had been flirting with another woman, but the more I think about getting back with Jeff the more I don't want to," she explained, wanting her friend to understand where she is coming from. It wasn't to hurt Jeff, but she really did feel it best to stay friends.

"I am not pushing you into anything and I am not pushing him into anything. I am staying out of the middle of the drama between you and my brother. But you need to be talking to him about how you feel and let him know that you only want to be friends," Onyx shared. She wasn't going to report back to Jeff with what was said between herself and Sugar. They weren't kids anymore and they needed to sort through it on their own.

"I don't expect you to," Sugar replied. "Telling him is a bit harder, but I will because I don't want you to be placed in the middle of this. Just like I want to be asking what Jeff said, but I won't, because it's not your place," she said, taking a longer drink of her wine. "Now tell me about the details with Clint," Sugar smiled. "And don't lie, I know things happened because I know you," she smirked.

"Can't the details between myself and my boyfriend stay between us?" Onyx asked a smirk on her lips as she slowly drank from her glass of wine.

"Details?" Sugar asked, pausing the movie to look at her friend. "What sort of details are we talking about?" She inquired, grabbing the half empty bottle of wine to top off their glasses.

"They're not all sordid or anything like that," Onyx laughed, swirling the dark liquid in her glass.

"Like that matters, but it has to be cute with the way he has been smitten with you," she teased nudging her friends knee with her own.

"It has to do with Mason," Onyx said, throwing her friend off.

"I don't see how Mason plays into the equation," Sugar commented. "How does that even happen?" She questioned, sipping at her wine.

Onyx launched into the story of it went down, Sugar adding in her own comments along the way, making them laugh and giving them a girl's day filled with laughs instead of tears giving Sugar a break from stressing over her the end of her relationship with Jeff.

* * *

"Girls night didn't last long," Seb commented looking up from the stacks of papers in front of him, happy for the small distraction.

"I wasn't feeling good, didn't want Sugar to catch anything. You need the bathroom?" She asked, placing her things on the kitchen counter.

"I am sure it's nothing and more to do with the wine you drank," Seb laughed. "Nope, you enjoy that bath of yours," he told her, going back to what he was doing. He knew his friend and the first sign of her stomach hurting she soaks in the bath with hot water and bubbles.

"It's not the wine," she sighed, making her leave. Seb shrugged and sighed looking at the papers, deciding he needed a break and now with his best friend home and not feeling the greatest he would make some homemade chicken noodle soup. The one he learned how to make from his nanna. The only problem he didn't have any ingredients. "I am headed to the store, need anything?" He asked, standing outside the bathroom, hearing the water filling the tub.

"Some ginger ale would be nice," she told him, pulling the door open a crack to look at her best friend, her towel wrapped tightly around her body. "Crackers too," she told him. "Maybe some chocolate," she tacked on.

"You're sick, I am sure you don't need to be eating chocolate," he laughed. "But I will get you some for when you start to feel better," he assured her.

"Thanks," she smiled, shutting the door to slip into the half full tub of hot water.

The drive to the market wasn't a long one. His thoughts were occupied on the noodles figuring out what kind he wanted to buy when he felt his cart moving, as he held onto it. He pulled it further to him giving whoever more room to pass, muttering out a sorry, as he scanned over the noodles not finding the kind he wanted to be buying.

"Someone is deep in thought," his girlfriend laughed, coming to stand next to him.

"Oh hey," he smiled, glancing at her quickly. "Trying to find a certain type of noodle and I can't find it," he explained with a sigh. "Onyx is feeling a bit under the weather so I figured I would be nice and make her chicken noodle soup," he explained.

"What kind are you looking for?" She asked, scanning over the boxes in front of her. She grabbed a box of egg noodles, hidden in the back on a lower shelf. "This the kind?" She asked, handing him the box when she straightened up.

"You're a lifesaver," he laughed, tossing the box into the cart. "I could kiss ya," he smirked, turning to look at his girlfriend.

"Can't say I am going to stop ya," she smiled, leaning in to share that kiss with her boyfriend.

"Yeah, but I can stop you," Blaine laughed, looking for noodles himself. "I don't need a side of making out with my lasagna," he said, grabbing the number of boxes he needed.

"Is everyone at the market today?" Seb laughed, shaking his head. He didn't think it would take him quite this long as he didn't want to keep Onyx waiting longer than necessary. He hadn't been anticipating everyone showing up in the noodle aisle.

"I think so," Blaine laughed. "We all need food," he shrugged. "But I've got to run, got a date night," he informed them shaking the box of lasagna noodles before leaving the couple alone in the aisle once more.

"I should let you go," Mikki told him. "Call me?" She questioned.

"Of course," Seb told her, quickly sharing a kiss with her. "Shouldn't you be heading home anyway, what with your company?" He asked, placing a hand on his cart.

"My company can go home already," she sighed. She loved her family but at a certain point she couldn't deal with them being in her house and telling her how to do things. "My cousin and his husband can go back to Seattle," she shared annoyed with their antics.

"Why don't the four of us go out tomorrow. I can have Clint come over and deal with a sick Onyx," he suggested pulling his girlfriend into his embrace, dropping a kiss to her head.

"I'd like that," she smiled. "We can discuss this further," she shared, letting him get on with his shopping as she did the same.

By the time he got home Onyx was curled up on the couch watching TV. He put the stuff away leaving out the things he would be needing for the soup and taking her a can of ginger ale with some saltine crackers.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked, walking back to the kitchen to get dinner started.

"Not really," she sighed, popping the can open to take a small drink of it.

"And remind me why you aren't in bed?" He asked, getting a pot out of the cupboard.

"My bed sucked and the couch was comfy," she shrugged. "And it's not like I am sick with the flu or anything," she shared. "So that chocolate bar," she commented with a sweet smile.

"If it's not the flu that what is it?" He asked, realizing what it was before he finished the question. "Nevermind, I got it," he told her. "You didn't need anything else from the store did you?" He asked worried. It wouldn't be the first time he went out and bought her things for her menstrual cycle. It didn't bother him or make him uncomfortable, it was a natural part of life.

"I'm good on that front," she smiled, getting up to help him make dinner. Just because she had some bad cramps didn't mean she needed Seb to cater to her. At that moment she doubled over in pain when a strong cramp bubbled up.

"Yeah, it'll take me too long to work around you," he said, pointing her in the direction of the couch. "Relax, I got this covered," he assured her.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes, giving him a small smile. "So I know going to the market, especially the one around the corner doesn't take long, so what took you so long?" She asked, making herself comfortable once more.

"Mikki and Blaine," he shrugged, moving around the kitchen. "Blaine is cooking for his girlfriend. Have you met her yet?" He questioned, working on pulling chicken off the whole cooked rotisserie chicken he bought for the soup.

"Nope. Should I know her?" She asked, taking a small drink of the ginger ale.

"Actually yes," Seb beamed at her. "She's a substitute and last year she filled in the two weeks for Mr. Jackson in the English department. Avery Jacobson. Ring any bells?" He asked, washing his hands.

"Nooo! You're lying," she smiled while he shook his head. She remembered the blond woman in question. She got on with her quite well enough for the time they spent together on break. "I don't know how I feel about that. And how do you know and I don't?" She asked, resting her head against the back of the couch.

"When you were committing to that boyfriend of yours, I saw them out, though if he had it his way they would still be hiding their relationship," Seb replied. "You know how he is with his girlfriend's," he stated.

"He's never been straight forward when it comes to them," she nodded. "I didn't ruin any plans you had with Mikki did I?" She asked feeling bad if she had ruined anything there.

"Nope," he replied, adding the meat and veggies to the broth on the stove. "She has her cousin and his husband visiting for a few days. Though since you're not sick I will be going out with them tomorrow, I was going to have Clint come take care of you," he rattled on.

"I can still have him come over," she shrugged. She wasn't worried with the way she looked as he has seen her looking worse and yet he was still around. She felt comfortable enough to wear sweats and a tee around him. "But even if I was really sick, I don't want you to feel like you need to be here taking care of me, I can handle being alone while sick," she assured him.

"I don't feel like I have to take care of you when sick, it's just what we do for each other," he shrugged. They had been doing it since they started to be friends. He had let Hunter take care of her when they dated and she got sick, but with her newly minted relationship with Clint he didn't dare leave him to take care of her, he liked the guy, he wasn't about to throw him into the deep end when it came to a sick Onyx.

"True," she smiled. "I couldn't ask for a better best friend," she stated. Seb easily agreeing with that statement. If anyone would have his back it would Onyx and vice versa without a doubt.

Her night of a girls night turned out to be different but still enjoyable nonetheless with her best friend as they enjoyed the soup he made and the romcoms she made him watch. More often than not they joked about the movie being played.

* * *

She didn't want to leave her bed in the morning, her cramps having gone away as they normally do as they always seemed to be bad the first and last day of her cycle, but she still felt like crap and didn't want to deal with people, but she did want to meet Mikki's cousins so she pulled herself from bed and slipped her boyfriend's shirt on using the bathroom before making her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

 **'You feeling okay?'** She smiled reading her boyfriend's message. Instead of texting him back knowing he wouldn't believe her through messages she called him.

"Hey babe," he answered. She frowned hearing a bit of rustling in the background.

"Hey, you busy?" She asked, stirring the sugar into her coffee before sitting at the counter.

"Nope, just finished taking a shower," he responded with a chuckle. "How are you feeling?" He asked, not knowing about the little turmoil his girlfriend happened to be in over the bit of information he shared.

"I'm good," she answered, with a gulp. "I wasn't sick and I am not sick just that time of the month," she explained to him.

"So you don't want to go out?" He questioned, looking for something to wear.

"No, I really just want to curl up on the couch and watch campy love movies and snack on sweet and salty foods," she told him.

"Want some company?" He asked, putting his phone on speaker and setting it atop his dresser before pulling his shirt over his head.

"If you have anything better to do, go ahead and do it as I will be fine here by myself," she assured him.

"Can't say I have better options at the moment," he teased. "Need anything? I can pick whatever up on my way over there," he offered for her.

"Even feminine products?" She asked him with a teasing smile.

"I guess," he retorted running a hand through his hair. "If I knew what to get," he told her.

"You're off the hook," she laughed. "I have plenty, I think," she sighed, trying to figure out if she did in fact have enough or if she would need a new box in the next few days.

"Why don't you send me pic of the kind you use and I'll stop and get you a box just to be on the safe side," he caved. Having grown up with Rachel, buying pads or tampons got a bit easier but it wasn't fun shopping for them. And if his girlfriend really needed them he could stop since he would be going by there instead of making her go out when she just wanted to stay in for the day.

"You don't mind?" She asked, taking a drink of her coffee now that it cooled off some.

"It's not something I want to be doing, but I can suck it up," he told her.

Whatever weirdness she felt about this whole situation left at how sweet her boyfriend happened to be. She really didn't want him to know that she was on as it can be embarrassing and she felt that no one other than herself needed to be knowing, especially her boyfriend of almost a week. As weird as it is for her it couldn't be any less weird for him.

Wrapping up their phone call she went to the bathroom and snapped a picture for him as she didn't want him to pick up the wrong kind. She still didn't know if it was sweet of him or just weird. "It's normal and all apart of life," she told herself. "Nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, talking to herself as she walked back to where her cup of coffee sat.

"I knew you weren't all there," Mikki teased, scaring Onyx in the process.

"A heads up next time would be nice," she stated a bit more harshly than intended. "Sorry," she sighed.

"You're good," Mikki smiled. "This is my cousin Spencer and his husband Elliot," she introduced. "Guys this is Onyx, Seb's best friend and roommate," she told them.

"Hi," she smiled, looking both men over. "Ya know I wouldn't picture you two a couple," she stated.

"And why is that?" Elliot asked, feeling offended by the woman before him.

"Don't get me wrong you two are totes adorable," she smiled, waving between them. "But just that you guys seem like total opposites. Spence looks like he's into sports and about his physical appearance," she rattled off. "And Elliot, it's like you're all about music and such," she said.

"That is them," Mikki nodded. "Spencer runs the little league team back in their neighborhood in Seattle and Elliot teaches music lessons," she explained.

"We do have things in common even if it doesn't look like it," Spencer stated.

"You two make it work," she smiled, refilling her coffee and making herself comfortable on the couch.

"You could come along," Spencer blurted out. "If you don't mind being the fifth wheel, that is," he shrugged.

"Thanks for the offer, but my guy is on his way over here and we're going to spend the day curled up watching movies," she politely declined. "The next time you're in town," she offered.

"It's a date," Spencer smiled.

"What's a date?" Seb asked, coming from his bedroom having changed.

"We'll explain on the way," Mikki told him. "Feel better," she said to Onyx as she ushered her family and boyfriend out the door.

"There's aspirin in the glove box of Seb's car, if you need it," she offered, having a feeling that Mikki would end up with a headache before the day was half over with.

"Thanks, I'll be needing it," Mikki sighed, shutting the door behind her.

No more than she had rinised out her mug and placed it by the kitchen sink than a knock sounded throughout the apartment, she smiled walking to the door.

"Oh it's you," she stated in a dull tone. "Seb isn't here, you just missed him," she said.

"Good thing I am not here for Seb," he laughed. "You could look a bit more happy to see me when I came with sweets," he teased holding the container of various sweets up for her to see. "I am here on behalf of my wife, she made these last night and has been freaking out about the taste," he informed her, handing the container over.

"I won't skip a detail, even the smallest one," she smiled, knowing just how mad Marley can be when she makes something new or even when she changes up a recipe. "Thanks for these, Nick," she said, walking to place them on the counter.

"Don't thank me yet," he laughed, walking off. She shook her head, walking to the door to shut when she saw her boyfriend approaching.

"Do I even want to know?" He asked, walking into the apartment with multiple bags.

"Marley is on a baking bender and driving him nuts," she offered as her response, helping him put things away, making sure they all found their rightful spots.

"Ah," he responded, pulling his girlfriend into his embrace, when she walked past him. "Hey," he whispered, pressing his lips against hers for a soft kiss.

"Hi," she smiled, pulling back to look at him. "You sure you don't have anything better to do?" She asked, walking over to the couch, Clint following behind her.

"Positive," he responded, sitting down and pulling her into his side. "Nowhere I'd rather be, and it's nice to know where my shirt went to," he joked.

"Not sure how it got mixed up in my things," she smiled sweetly at him, reaching for the remote to start the first movie. "I'll gladly give it back another day," she promised.

"You can keep it," he stated, pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't mind," he said. It wasn't even a shirt he really liked. A gift from his sister one year, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings by tossing the shirt out.

She smiled, resting her head on his chest as she started the movie. Clint felt himself starting to doze off, not keeping up with the storyline of the movie, knowing in the end the woman would get the guy of her dreams. It was the sobbing next to him that startled him. Seeing her in tears over a movie was a shock to him as he didn't even see her in tears over Hunter cheating on her on their anniversary.

"Baby," he said softly, pulling her closer. "Mind telling me what's wrong?" He asked, handing her a tissue that sat on the end table next to him.

"It's clear that she loves him and that he loves her," she sobbed, pointing to the two people on screen. "They should be allowed to be together and him not marrying some random woman who is nothing but this evil little witch," she explained through sobs.

"This is just hurtle for their ever growing love," he softly told her, knowing not to mock her as he didn't want her to go from a sobbing mess to taking her anger out on him. "He will realize how much he loves her and he will stand up to his parents and go after the love of his life," he said.

"You think so?" She asked, wiping the tears away.

"I am pretty confident that it will happen for them," he assured her. He hasn't been paying attention and he doesn't watch movies or shows like this one but with it being a cheesy romantic movie it would happen maybe not the way he said it but they would ended happy at the end of the movie.


	21. Chapter 21

_**As always the character of Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita and she can not be used without her permission. Onyx, Harlow and Avery belong to me, and they can't be used without my permission, as well as the handful of other characters used within this chapter as students. All recognizable characters belong to Glee.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

It was by far way too early in the morning to be excited, but here she sat at the kitchen table a cup of coffee in front of her as she waited on Sebastian to finish up so they could get back to work. She spent the last few days at the school in her classroom getting things set up for the first day of school. As while as meeting with the new class of students that came in for their ninth grade orientation and to get a lay of the land they would calling home for the next four years of their lives, along with their parents who had more questions than their kids did. But she had been happy to answer any and all questions while showing students and parents where things were located at.

"Hurry up, would ya?" She yelled, hearing him exit the bathroom, getting up to fix him a cup of coffee, just the way he liked it.

"Aren't we a ray of sunshine," he joked, shutting the door to his room to finish getting ready for work.

She rolled her eyes, leaving his coffee on the counter for him, not sure what he wanted to be having for breakfast that morning, as she already had some toast and eggs, making extra eggs in case he wanted some. She smiled hearing her phone vibrate against the table, as she saw no point in turning the volume on when she would have to silence her phone once she got to the school. Her smile grew reading the message on the lock screen. **'Good morning, beautiful. Have an amazing 1st day at school babe. ;)'**

 _'Good morning to you baby. Try to get work done without me around to hang out with.'_ She sent back to her boyfriend. The opening to his club had been pushed back till the end of September to the beginning of October, for various reasons.

"Bacon bits in the scrambled eggs again, I see," Seb laughed, quickly taking out everything he needed to make himself a breakfast burrito.

"Bacon bits were the only form of bacon we have," she informed him. "We really need to be stopping off after school to be getting groceries," she commented.

"I agree there," he nodded. "You giving homework out today?" He asked, sitting across from her at the table.

"Do I ever?" She asked with an eye roll. She has never once given homework on the first day of school and she wasn't about ready to start today. "That is a stupid question to even think about asking. It's the same thing if I were to ask you if you were handing out homework," she stated in a duh tone.

"True," he laughed. With everything he needed to go over for his class he didn't have the time to assign any type of homework and the real first day of class started the second day. "Shall we go?" He asked, getting up to place his plate in the sink.

"Yep," she nodded, maneuvering around him to place her mug by the sink and to grab the lunch she prepared for the both of them out of the fridge. Which happened to be last nights left over Chinese food they had ordered.

The best perk even though they taught two very different classes, their classrooms were across the hall from each other. With the doors open they could look right into the others room and when they stayed after to work on grading papers and what not it was something they did. And when one of them had to be in control of detention the other stayed behind because they didn't see any sense in driving two cars when they ended up at the same school.

Arriving at the school they headed to the teacher's lounge placing their lunch into the fridge. She smiled at some of the other teachers in the room, she stopped short of the door seeing Avery.

"So that's Blaine's girlfriend?" She asked Seb quietly, nodding in Avery's direction.

"Yep," Seb nodded. "I still don't know the real reason on why he doesn't want us to meet her," he sighed.

"You know Blaine as well as I do. He's never been fond of sharing his girlfriend's with us," Onyx shrugged. There were ex-girlfriend's of Blaine's that she didn't know because they were never given the chance to meet them, because Blaine had to make sure that he knew they would last for a while before bringing them around. And it wasn't something she found that she could ever fault him for doing. But this time around, Avery was different, as they happened to work together and she couldn't ignore the fact she was dating a good friend of hers.

"Don't do anything stupid," Seb warned her, walking away to talk with another teacher in the English department.

"Onyx, hey," a bubbly brunette smiled, pulling her into a friendly hug.

"Harlow, hi," she smiled, easily returning the hug, surprised to see the teacher in front of her. "I thought you were quitting?" She asked. That had been the deal last year on the last day of school. Onyx had been expecting a new science teacher today so it was surprising to see Harlow there.

"That had been the plan, but I found it hard to walk away and it wasn't as if I had a reason to leave. The move didn't happen as we broke up," she shrugged. She had dated her ex for a little over a year, planned on moving to be closer to his family, but like things do, their relationship had an expiration date. It hurt, but she knew it was for the best. "Can't say I am too broken up about it," she smiled. "How was your vacation?"

"Is it really a vacation when you work most of it?" She asked with a laugh. "It started on a bad note but ended on a really good one," she smiled, quickly thinking about how things ended with Hunter and how that lead to Clint being in her life.

"You and Hunter still going strong?" She asked, watching the smile on her friend's face fall away as her face scrunched up.

"Uh..no things didn't work out there, but I am okay with that," she nodded, not wanting to go into any details about her relationship with Hunter and what happened there, as she is better off with the way things are now and she was more than okay to have a friendship with Hunter. No hurt feelings there. She didn't want to dwell and waste any more time worrying about the hurt and sad feelings she posses over Hunter, that just wasn't the case anymore and she was ready to be friends with him, wanted to be friends with him.

"I'm sorry," Harlow shared. Onyx shrugged, there wasn't anything to be sorry about.

"Enjoy your classes," she offered looking around to see that Avery had slipped out the door during her conversation with Harlow.

"You as well," Harlow smiled, moving onto the next teacher she knew. Onyx took that opportunity to exit the lounge and head to her class as the school started to slowly fill up with students.

"Have a wonderful day, Mr. Smythe," Onyx teased, seeing him getting ready for the day to start.

"I am sure I will," he laughed. "Try to take it easy on them and have an eventful day, Ms. Sterling," he teased.

"I hope you get all the trouble makers," she retorted, moving fully into her room to get things set up for her first class.

With her name and **_World History_** wrote on the marker board, she sat in her desk chair, waiting for her computer to load as the first bell of the day rang. She watched as the 10th grade students started to slowly trickle into the room filling each seat up. She waited a good five minutes after the bell rang wanting to make sure there was no lingering students lost in the halls.

"Good morning," she stated, gaining the attention of the students in her class, as she walked over to shut the door. "My name is Ms. Sterling, and you should all be in World History, if that isn't the class on your schedule, please exit the room and find your rightful class," she instructed. It's happened many times over the years and something that never once shocked her. "Okay," she nodded, seeing that no one was moving to get up.

The first thing she did was take attendance seeing what students were there on the first day as the majority of them were there. A few of them she didn't know if they would ever make it to her class.

"I know someone of you from last year," she said, moving back to the middle of the classroom to stand before them all. "And there are plenty of new faces. Now can anyone recall the class rules?" She asked, seeing a few hands go up.

"Jessica?" She asked, calling on the girl in the front row.

"Tests are taken on Wednesday's because you feel we're more alert," she shared. Onyx nodded, the last thing anyone was focused on by the time Friday rolled around was a test when they just wanted the weekend and Monday was a dreary day for everyone to focus. "But pop quizzes can be given any day of the week."

"You don't give us homework on Fridays, but it's fair game the rest of the week," Colin stated, having raised his hand and Onyx giving him the go ahead.

"It's not really a rule, but you're also here if we need help with anything school related to that of a more personal issue if we need to be having that help," Emily said, having been called on.

"Whatever the issue, my door is always open if you don't feel comfortable enough talking to a friend or family, or even the guidance counselor. And asking for help isn't a sign of weakness but that of strength. We all need a little help, it isn't something to be ashamed of, I promise you that," she shared. "Jordan?" She asked, looking to the boy in the back row, one that had started to come out of his shell over the course of the previous year.

"That we can use notes on tests," he shared.

"You can but do not think that you shouldn't be studying the material as you get one note card to fill out and I will provide you with it the day before the test," she informed the class. "Yes, Jasmin?" She asked, seeing the teen with her hand raised.

"We can have snacks and something to drink that's got a lid and if we spill and make a mess we need to clean it up and we won't be allowed to have any in class," she shared.

"I like to discourage coffee and soda, but I know that I can't stop you from bringing either of them in to drink as I have coffee all day long or the occasional soda sitting on my desk. You can chew gum but please use the trash bin and not the desk and chairs. If any chewed gum is found stuck to anything in my class it will be banned by everyone," she informed her students.

For the rest of class they went over rules and what could be expected of them through the term in her class. She wasn't about to give them homework or pass out text books until the following day, they would have enough to do with their other classes, she'd wait till tomorrow, not that she was too fond of giving them homework. She preferred to have everything done in class, but that wasn't always the case with some students.

* * *

Having let her class before lunch go a few minutes early, let her be the first one in the teacher's lounge, heating up her lunch and sitting at the table by the window to look outside. Waiting on her food to cool down, she pulled her phone out to check her messages.

"Hey Onyx." The greeting took her attention away from her phone to see Avery sitting at the table with her.

"Avery, right?" She asked, wanting to make sure that she had the name right. The other woman nodded. "So you're the one dating Blaine, at least that is what I hear," she said with a nod of her own, not wanting to assume anything just in case they had broken up or something along the lines of that.

"If you're talking about Blaine Anderson, who is in the process of turning your brother's bar into well I'm not really sure as of yet as he doesn't know," she laughed.

"That would be the one. He's never been one to really pick anything," Onyx laughed. "It is nice to meet you as Blaine's girlfriend as he isn't one to introduce us to them until a certain period for his reasons," she shrugged.

"I've tried to talk him into letting me meet all of you. We've been together now for 5 months, I think I can survive meeting his friends," she laughed.

"Then you should come Friday night. As we're having a little dinner to celebrate getting through the first week of school," Onyx invited her.

"I don't know," Avery sighed, with a frown. "I don't want it to seem like I'm going behind his back," she shared her concerns. She didn't want to be betraying Blaine and it really felt like she would be doing just that. But it wouldn't be like she would be doing anything other than having dinner with her colleagues and there wasn't anything wrong with that.

"I get it," Onyx nodded. It didn't matter that Blaine hadn't made the introductions when it came to his girlfriend. She'd have to stop in and see Blaine and have a talk with him. "You can tell him that I invited you over and insure him that we won't scare you off. After all we work together," Onyx stated.

"I do think I need to be talking to him," Avery nodded.

"And just what are you two up to over here?" Seb asked, taking a seat at the table, liking his Chinese food to be cold.

"We are not planning anything," Onyx laughed, Seb gave her a pointed look. "Fine, we're trying to find a way to make Blaine officially introduce us to his girlfriend," she shared. It was hard to pretend around Blaine, they knew Avery, they liked her and they wanted to be able to spend time with her and not feel guilty about enjoying their time together because they had to keep it from Blaine. That wasn't going to work and Blaine would have to realize it was time they met the woman he was falling for.

"And telling him point-blank that you know who we are and that which I am sure you've already invited her over Friday night," he said looking at Onyx, who nodded to confirm his inkling there. "And you know just be honest with him. He knows we all work at the same school, he is not stupid by any means," Seb stated.

"No, just undeceive, is all," Onyx retorted. Avery nodding her head in acceptance.

"Despite that, Blaine will come to his sense, when he knows that he can't keep his personal life private from us any longer," Seb finished off shaking his head. He trusted Blaine and all but even he couldn't hold off on wanting to know the woman his friend was infatuated with.

That was something Avery and Onyx could agree on. The remaining time for lunch was used to get to know Avery as she got to know them a bit more than what they already knew about each other in the time they have known Avery.

After lunch she didn't have a class so she used her free time, to go over a few things and use her time wisely that way she wouldn't have to spend her time at home doing school related stuff as the last class of the day would go the way the others had. And she already had the week planned out.

"You've got yourself a very good-looking secret admirer," Dani said, bringing her the small bouquet of Dahlias ranging from dark red to light pink.

"The only one that should be dropping off flowers is my boyfriend," Onyx smiled, meeting her halfway to take the vase of flowers and take a minute to sniff the sweet scent they provided her.

"That did not look like Dr. Clarington," Dani remarked, sitting on the edge of a desk in the front row.

"That is because we broke up at the start of summer and I just started to date someone else," she shared, finding the small card that accompanied the flowers.

"He is gorgeous," Dani laughed.

"I'll make sure to tell him that news," Onyx laughed, already picturing his gorgeous smile.

"If you think you can live with the ego it gives him," she stated, pushing herself off the desk. "I'll let you get to that card that way you can thank him. Just remember that the bell rings in five minutes," she cheekily tacked on.

"Just go," Onyx laughed, tossing a pencil at the secretary on her way out with laughter.

Shaking her head, and after picking up the pencil as she liked to have a clean classroom, she sat down at her desk and opened the card.

 **'Thinking of my stunning girlfriend on her first day back. With troublesome students, figured you could use a pick me up. Xoxo your caring boyfriend.'**

 _'Thank you for the flowers. They were absolutely beautiful! They did bring a smile to my face and brightened my day so much more. Xoxo to be paid in full later. Muah!'_

"Clint?" Seb questioned, standing in the doorway of her classroom as students started to trickle out of classes and the lunchroom headed to their lockers ready for the last class of the day.

"Yeah," she smiled, placing her phone and the small card into her purse.

"That was awfully sweet of him," Seb grinned, making sure he stood out-of-the-way of any incoming students.

"It was very sweet of him," she retorted. Hunter had given her flowers before, but not for no reason like her first day back at work. Hunter had his sweet moments, she wouldn't have stayed with him for a year if he had been that guy she was met with on their anniversary ending things. "You best get to your class before they ditch on you," she teased.

"I wouldn't tease," Seb laughed. "Your class here can still start a riot on ya," he joked, walking across the hall as the bell rang signaling the start of class.

"Fair warning, you start a riot you go home with double the homework every day for the rest of the term," she warned her class. "Alright, my name is Ms. Sterling, and this is Geography. Please check your schedules to make sure you're in the right place," she instructed, walking to her desk to proceed with attendance. "I know we covered things last week for orientation when you came in and I also know that you all are gearing up for the first day to be over with," shared as she walked to stand in the middle of the classroom. "But, I am going to explain more in-depth what we will be covering this year and yes that means you won't have homework for this class," she told them.

"How often will we have homework?" Lyla asked after being called on. With everyone in this class being new to the school what with it being the freshman class they didn't know much about her teaching style.

"As much as you guys hate doing homework, I don't enjoy correcting it every night. But even so you will have assignments that need to be done outside of class and whatever you don't finish in class you will need to do at home," she answered. "Any other questions?" She asked, looking around at the students.

A good chunk of class had been answering questions and going over what they would be doing for the term. With there being twenty minutes left for class it was by far too early to release them for the day.

"As much as I hate giving homework out on the first day of school, we've got too much time to be doing nothing," she said earning a room full of groans. "It's not that bad," she promised with a small laugh. "Next week we will be starting our first project and yes you will have time in class to work on them but they will need to be done outside of class as well as you will have two weeks to finish it. So over the next week think about any country you want and pick one city within that country to do a class presentation on. I will explain more on it next Monday. And to ensure that everyone picks a different city you will need to sign up. It will be first come first serve," she stated. "Yes, Eric?" She asked, seeing the shy boy in the front row raise his hand.

"Is there any country off-limits?" He asked.

"The United States of America," she told them hearing a few groans. "This is not American history, it is Geography and we have a whole world to explore," she explained. "Yes, Grace?" She asked, having a bit of trouble remembering her name.

"What if we can't decide on a country of origin?" She asked.

"You will get one at random," she shared. "Now if you have a place in mind come to my desk so I can get it wrote down," she said, noticing they had five minutes of class left. "If you need more time to figure out your city, I will see you tomorrow for class," she dismissed, watching a good chunk of her class pack up their bags and head out, while a small handful of students stayed behind knowing what city they were going to do for their project.

Staying behind a half hour after school was let out for the day, wanting to make sure none of her students had questions to ask without the pressure of their peers overhearing and judging them on, she left with Seb, stopping off to get groceries for the week, which they mixed their things together and after leaving the grocery store figured out what the other person owed, splitting the total in half. Even with the groceries, they ordered pizza once at home and watched a few movies, as they didn't have any paperwork to correct.

* * *

"Hey baby," Clint smiled, gently kissing his girlfriend's cheek as she opened the door for him. "You're a vision," he smirked, raking his eyes over her figure. Looking stunning in the burgundy off the shoulder dress that stopped mid-thigh. Black heels to finish her outfit off with her hair pulled into a slick high pony.

"And you again look ruggedly handsome," she sighed, with a warm loving smile on her face as she grabbed her purse, turning the last of the lights off. He wore a white dress shirt the top few buttons left undone and a black pair of slacks.

"I would suggested going home to change, but we don't have the time for that," he smirked, taking her free hand in his after she locked her apartment door.

"I am very afraid we wouldn't make it out of your apartment," she remarked. She didn't want to rush into any aspect in her relationship with Clint, but it was starting to get harder to stop herself from wanting more.

"We can't have you skipping out on tonight," Clint responded, pushing the call button for the elevator.

"Yeah, about that," she sighed stepping on the elevator once the doors slid open.

With it being Friday and the first week of school in the books, they had made plans to go to dinner instead of hanging out at someone's house.

"What are you not telling me?" Clint asked, standing next to his girlfriend, pushing the button for the lobby.

"With everyone that is going to be there, I invited Hunter," she slowly told him, not sure what his reaction was going to be.

"Your ex Hunter?" He asked, void of emotion. She nodded her head, confirming they were talking about the same Hunter. "Why?"

"Because everyone has a significant other and I figured that Hunter and Harlow would hit it off," she shrugged.

"Wait!" He laughed. "You're willingly setting a friend of yours up with your ex, who happened to cheat on you. Do you hate her or something?" He questioned highly amused by what she was doing.

"I am not setting them up and no I don't hate her. I have made amends with Hunter and sure it hurts to think about but at this point I have come to realize it's the best because I get to be with you," she told him, lacing her fingers with his as the doors opened so they could exit the elevator. "But everyone even Hunter, learns from his mistakes. I figured she would like to have someone to talk to so she didn't feel left out. They can remain friends for all I care," she told him, walking to his car

"With all the shit that Hunter has put you through, I just don't see why you want to help find his next girlfriend for," he sighed. "One would think, you would want to spare her the hurt he caused you," he stated, opening the car door for her.

"People can change. You changed, you're not the jerk you once used to be," she pointed out, slipping into the passenger seat.

"That may be, but I am reluctant to believe that man can stop being an ass let alone not cheat. He cheated on you and he was ready to marry you, I highly doubt he has changed that much in a little over three months," Clint retorted, starting his car before buckling up.

"Believe whatever the hell you want to believe," Onyx stated, turning to look at the night life that they passed on the way to the restaurant.

* * *

"Do I even want to know?" Seb asked, walking to the doors of the restaurant with Mikki at the same time Onyx and Clint reached the door.

"Nope," Onyx stated, heading inside, ignoring her boyfriend, something she had been doing since they left.

"I forget how stubborn she can be when she is upset with someone who isn't me," Seb laughed softly. "What is it you did?" He asked, entering the restaurant with Clint, having let Mikki enter before they did.

"I disagree with her on the fact she invited Hunter to this dinner tonight," Clint sighed, waiting in the lobby to be shown to the table they would be occupying for the night as Onyx, talked with the hostess.

"You need to understand that she may have her difference's with Hunter, and he hurt her in a bad way, but they had been friends, and like all friends, you want to see your friends happy and she wants to see Hunter happy as he wants to see her happy. I can promise you that you have nothing to worry about," Seb assured him.

"Didn't you make some sort of amends with Hunter?" Mikki asked, coming to stand next to her boyfriend, lacing her fingers with his.

"He did months ago," Onyx retorted, keeping a bit of space between her and Clint. "So get why I can't understand where this big deal is coming from."

"Because I don't want to see him hurt someone who you care about," Clint stressed. "Is that so wrong of me?" He asked, shaking his head, so over this whole situation.

"There is nothing wrong with that, I'm flattered that you care that much about me that you don't want that to happen, but I need you to trust me on this," Onyx stated.

"I do trust you, it's him that I don't trust," Clint said, moving Onyx off to the side to have a bit more privacy as he didn't want to have this out in front of anyone let alone someone who Onyx thinks of as family.

Onyx sighed, taking her boyfriend's hands holding them between themselves. Carefully thinking her words over, she didn't want to be fighting or having any sort of arguments with her boyfriend. After the first week back to work that had passed fast she wanted to relax and have fun with a few of her co-workers that she is friends with to start off her first weekend of many to come; one that wouldn't be busy with correcting papers.

"I wouldn't suggest Harlow to meet Hunter if I thought he was going to step out on her the way he did with me. I had my own issues as well and instead of sitting down and talking about things that we should have been talking about, I pushed him away," she explained, licking her lips. As much as everyone wanted to be blaming Hunter for what he did, she had a part of it as well and she had accept that a while ago. "That is why I want our relationship to be different, I want and need for us to have a very open and honest communication system," she told him.

"We will," he promised her, gently tugging her into his embrace. "We do," he stated, planting a kiss to her head. "Honest communication all the way, that is why I haven't been able to agree with you on this whole thing, because I don't feel like it's a good idea," he said. "But," he quickly tacked on before she could protest him once more. "I will go along with it. Obviously, he isn't all that bad if you can make amends and remain friends with the guy. But do know that I am not going to play nice," he warned her.

"I am only asking you to be nice, and you know, treat him with some sort of respect," she said.

"I can do that much," he promised, closing the small gap between them, pressing his lips against hers for a soft sweet kiss.

"You two crazy kids coming?" Seb asked with a laugh. Onyx rolled her eyes, taking her boyfriend's hand again, and following behind Seb and Mikki to where their table was located at in more secluded part of the restaurant.

Introductions were quickly made for Mikki and Clint, since they were both on the outside when it came to those around the table, as Hunter had already been introduced to them as he had been there before they had showed up, as they were the last ones to arrive.

"I know for a fact that if I were to have any meal while I was with my boyfriend and my previous ex were to join us, that I would be all sorts of awkward," Avery started to say as she was sitting to the right of Onyx. "How are you not awkward with Hunter being here?" She asked.

"Blaine?" She asked, looking to the only person that could have filled Avery in on the situation with Hunter. Though if she had to pick anyone else, it could very well have been Harlow herself, as it took quite the convincing to get Harlow to agree to even meeting Hunter as that of purely friends.

"I needed my girlfriend to understand what we were walking into, in case things got out of hand," Blaine shrugged with a grin on his face. "And thanks for using my girlfriend to blackmail me into having her meet you and Seb," he sarcastically stated, his grin staying in place.

"You're welcome for that," Onyx grinned. "But you had to know that you couldn't keep her secret forever," she said. "We work together after all."

"I know," Blaine sighed. "It wasn't about keeping her from all of you, it's that I don't want for you guys to become best friends and for something to go wrong and then you're hanging out with her gossiping about things," he explained with a shrug.

"Like we would gossip about you if you two were to break up. You're not that important," Onyx teased. Blaine flipped her off, turning his attention to the rest of the group. "Honestly?" Onyx sighed, looking to where Hunter and Harlow seemed to be hitting it off at. "I was friends with Hunter before I dated him and sure this could have been awkward but I don't feel it, because we're trying to rebuild the friendship we had before we dated," she explained.

"I can get that," Avery nodded. "How's he taking this whole thing?" She asked, seeing just how close Clint stayed glued to Onyx and glaring at Hunter on more than one occasion.

"He's the one making it awkward," Onyx laughed, reaching under the table, to lightly squeeze his hand as he talked with Mike Chang; someone who she had yet to personally get to know as Seb had invited Mike and his wife Tina along. As Seb knew him through Mikki, but Mike had transferred schools, in way of moving a bit closer to home, having spent the last three years in Northern California. Mike taught in the math department as well as a coach for the dance team.

"Excuse me for having issues with the guy that crumbled your already delicate heart," Clint said, giving a pointed look at his girlfriend.

"A delicate heart that you've had no problem repairing," she told her boyfriend, kissing his cheek.

"You make it easy," Clint smiled.

"Please stop, the rest of us are trying to eat," Seb joked from across the table, as he sat across from her.

"And you know where you can shove it," she smiled sweetly at him.

"Can't you two get along on any outing?" Mikki asked with a playfully smile.

"Mikki, I am sure you know them better than the rest and know, those two can never fully get along," Hunter tossed out in a joking tone.

"I don't know about some, but I have seen them get alone just fine in public," Clint retorted, shooting a look at Hunter.

"Animosity at it's finest," Hunter retorted, not going to back down for nothing. He knew what he did wrong and he was trying to make up for all of it. Even though he was making amends with Onyx, he knew he would have to try a bit harder with Clint as one talk would never be good enough.

"You know I was thinking about having the triple chocolate cheesecake for dessert," Onyx suggested, moving attention away from Hunter and Clint the one way she knew how off the top of her mind.

"You hate chocolate, babe," Clint laughed, not going to call her out on getting the situation away from the little feud he felt coming on with Hunter.

"Right," she nodded. "So you can get it and I can try it and if I hate it, then it won't be a big deal and I'll just order the triple berry cheesecake," she smiled sweetly at Clint.

"If I do that, then you gotta share yours as well," Clint told her, as the rest of the table went back to what they were talking about as if nothing had taken place between Hunter and Clint.

"I think I can work that," she smiled, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, looking at Avery. "How did the two of you meet?" She asked, wanting to know a bit more about the relationship between Avery and Blaine.

"Cooper," Blaine sighed, shaking his head.

"What?" Seb asked, having not heard the story either. "What does your brother have to do with meeting your girlfriend?"

"I was set to have brunch with Cooper and his fiancée and for whatever reason they had to cancel, I have yet to get the true story from either one of them, and in walked Avery and she needed a place to sit while she ate, and I invited to sit with me and the rest is history," Blaine shrugged.

"I believe there was a bit more to it than that," Avery laughed. "I wasn't looking for any sort of a relationship and I wanted to remain friends," she smiled, looking at Blaine. "And well you all know how Blaine can be when he wants something," she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Yeah, that is how we ended up being friends with him," Seb teased. "We had no choice but to be friends with him."

"At least I didn't go around and become best friends with the kid sister of the guy I don't get along with at school," Blaine joked back. "Oh wait, I'm sorry about that Onyx, didn't mean to reveal how your friendship with your best friend started," Blaine smirked.

"You're not sorry," Onyx pointed at him. "And besides, it's old news," she shrugged. She knew from the very start of her friendship with Seb on how it came to be and what was going on, as it wasn't just Seb in on it, as it was her as well.

"There is so much more to that story, then you can ever know," Seb laughed, sharing a look with Onyx, which made her laugh as well.

"I was there, I saw how pissed you two being friends made Jeff," Hunter said. "So what is it we are missing?" He asked.

"How can there be more to the story?" Blaine questioned, looking between the two laughing friends. "Were you two in on it?" He asked, eyeing them up.

"Something like that," Onyx nodded. "And it's a story for a later date in time," she nodded. "Like when Jeff is around, so I can personally see the look of horror on his face," she commented smirking.

"He's going to be pissed," Seb stated with a laugh. "So pissed that you might end up an only child."

"Maybe," Onyx agreed. She knew it would never come to that. Jeff might be a little ticked off at how it all came about, but not mad enough to disown her.

From there they moved on to other topics as the laughter flowed around the table as they moved on to eat their desserts as their evening slowly came to an end. With Onyx spending the night at Clint's place instead of going back to what would have been an empty apartment.


	22. Chapter 22

**_Firstly, I want to say sorry with the small wait with this chapter, but I couldn't get things to line up the way I needed them to, and I needed to take a small step back so I could get it sorted out.  
Secondly, there is a flashback scene in this, and it does play into a prequel of sorts for this story.  
Thirdly, I have borrowed Mikki and Jeremy from KikiJaunita, getting the permission needed to use them throughout this story. Onyx belongs to me and if you do so wish to use her, please do ask. The rest belong to Glee._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

"So it is true," Clint laughed, entering his girlfriend's apartment when she told him the door was open. A door he locked behind himself; for no other reason than it being something he is use to doing at his own place.

"What are you talking about?" Onyx asked amused covering up the small confusion she had over his statement, using the small paring knife to cut a slice of her apple off to eat, giving her attention to her boyfriend and not the papers that need to be graded scattered in front of her. Her eyes were starting to water, her mind starting to wander as she read the same answers repeatedly, marking the answers that were wrong. Her students were creative, she would give them that, but this wasn't a creative writing class.

"That teachers really do love apples," he smirked, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he sat next to her. She rolled her eyes at his attempt of humor, moving into him as he sat next to her, happy from the reprieve he gave her, even if it was for a moment.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," she retorted with a snort, getting him to shake his head as she offered him a slice of apple. "Or so they say," she shrugged. What did it matter what type of fruit she ate? She liked her fruit, preferred it most the time. "I've always loved a good apple."

"How about a real lunch and not just an apple," he offered. It wasn't hard to piece together that she hadn't eaten lunch between the apple and the multiple piles of papers, some with red marker and others still needing to be graded.

"I would love that; I really would," she told him, sighing. "But I've got so much here to do." Not only did she have the papers in front of her to grade, but two more stacks of papers at that. She had thought that she would have Saturday to herself and grade papers that should have been graded days ago, leaving her Sunday open to spend with her boyfriend, but as it turns out that clearly isn't the plan they went with. Not that she minded because she could use the break and distraction that he brings with him into her little bubble.

"Now who said anything about going out, baby?" He asked, walking to the kitchen, pulling open the one drawer they had tossed a few different take out menus into. Maybe he had been spending too much time at his girlfriend's house, but he believed that she knew her way around his place just as well if not better. "The real question is what are in the mood for?" He asked, closing the drawer and walking back to where she sat.

"Thai," she answered, shaking her head, not sure if that was what she happened to be in the mood for. "Maybe Sushi," she told him after a few minutes. "You pick," she told him, glancing down at the paper on her lap, to read over what was written on the worksheet.

"How about we order a little something from both of them. Write down what you want from both places," he told her, handing one menu over to her as he looked at the other one to see what he wanted.

She nodded, taking the offered menu and looked it over, quickly writing down what she wanted. They switched menus and did the same thing. With that taken care of, Clint placed the calls while she got back to grading papers.

By the time the food arrived, she was happy to not only have a break from staring at papers and writing that blurred into one big mess. Her stomach doing all it could to inform her that the food smelt delicious and that she needed to be eating instead of trying to read the chicken scratch on the paper before her.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, joining him at the table to eat their lunch, as she didn't want to get food all over the papers.

"Nothing," he smiled, waving it off. "I mean it; you can get the bill next time," he assured her, cutting off her protest.

"Except next time never comes," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know where it's written that the guy needs to pay all the time, but I would like to find it and tear it up and burn the pieces. I would like to treat my boyfriend, ya know," she told him.

"Okay, I promise, next time I will let you pay," he laughed.

She nodded a happy smile on her face, as they enjoyed their lunch. They were laughing when Seb entered the apartment with a couple boxes of pizzas with Mikki following behind with a few bags, of what, she didn't know.

"I don't think I can eat anymore," she commented looking at Seb. "What is with the pizza?" She asked, her gaze darting from Seb to the two people by the door. She knew Mike and Tina from the weekend two weeks ago when they got together for their first week of school dinner.

"I spend a lot of time with you," Seb said slowly.

"Just spit it out," Onyx laughed.

"As you know, Mike is my best friend," Mikki said, ignoring the small scoff from by the door. "And I am very much like Seb and feel guilty for not including my best friend a lot of the time."

"So you two would feel better if your best friends got along?" Onyx asked, looking from Mikki to Seb both of them nodding and sharing a look with each other. "I can't argue that point," she told him, getting up. "Let me clean up my mess in the living room, and we can sit around and get to know each other," she told them.

They sat around the living room, Clint sitting on one end of the couch Onyx sitting next to him, Seb to her right who was sitting by Mikki, leaving the two chairs in the living room for Mike and Tina. Pizza and what was left of the leftovers of Thai food and sushi spread out on the coffee table, drinks to go around, as they all got to know each other better.

"Something has been bothering me," Clint said, sitting his glass on the coaster, leaning back on the couch to put his arm around his girlfriends shoulders.

"What's that?" She questioned, looking at him.

"I've known you two for months now, and I never questioned this friendship you have going on. I can see that you guys are friends and nothing more, I don't worry about that," he quickly told them, not wanting any of them to think otherwise. He's seen them together enough to know that the love they share is that of siblings and not an ounce more than that. "But you said a few weeks ago that you knew about Seb using you to get under Jeff's skin," he started to say trying to figure out how to word what he really wanted to ask, without offending anyone.

"You want to know how I know and why it didn't bother me then or now?" She asked, reading where his line of thoughts were headed. He nodded, curious to hear the story. "That day seems like a lifetime ago," she laughed looking at Seb.

"It does make you wonder," Mikki said. "I would be pissed with Mike if I found out that he had used our friendship for some stupid thing like Seb had done towards Jeff," she stated, giving Mike a hard look.

"Hey, I never once used you, I promise," Mike affectionately told her. "That thought never crossed my mind. I needed a friend; you happened to be the friend I needed. You approached me; I was new in town, I wasn't about to turn down a friendship," he laughed.

"You might be right," Mikki nodded with a smile on her face. "You were too afraid to turn down any friends since you were new in town," she laughed. "Now that we have that cleared up, I too, would like to know how two became friends, because I, for the life of me, can not figure out why you both thought it a good idea to use the other towards any ill feelings towards Jeff," she said, thinking about it for a minute, still not coming up with an answer as to why.

"Because as much as I love my brother, and as many times as he has always been there for me no questions asked since I was a kid," she started to say. "He could be a bit of jerk at times as well," she sighed.

"A bit of a jerk?" Seb asked his voice raising as he shook his head. Onyx held her laughter in. "I may get along with the guy now, and we may be friends, good friends at that, but it wasn't always like that." There had been a time when he didn't get along with Jeff and befriending Onyx hadn't made things with Jeff any easier at all. In fact it made things so much worse for him.

* * *

 _"Why couldn't you have gone to a friends house?" Jeff grumbled out as they walked through a set of doors to the mall, his little sister following behind him. "Why come to the mall, just to hang out with my friends and me?" He asked, making sure she stayed with him at the pace he walked. Don't get him wrong he adored his little sister and he enjoyed all the time he had with her, even though it is hard at times with them living on opposite sides of the city, and as much as he wanted to hang with her, he as well wanted to spend time with his friends and not have his little sister tag along and narc on him over something stupid._

 _"Because my friends are boring and I want to spend time with my brother, because I haven't seen him in weeks now," she retorted, as sarcastically as an 11-year-old could. "Ever think that I missed you?" She snarled at him._

 _"That doesn't mean you have to wedge your way into my life," he retorted._

 _"What else do you want me to do Jeff?" She asked, frowning as she felt her sadness creep in over her brother not wanting to hang out with her._

 _"We could have hung out tomorrow and will do all of the things you wanted to do," he pointed out. "We could have hung out..."_

 _"Next week?" She asked, taking the words right out of his mouth. "Like we were supposed to hang out last week or the multiple weeks before that?" She asked, getting her brother to remain silent. "That's what I thought," she spit out. "Do whatever you want with your buddies, I'll be in the arcade," she told him, entering the arcade as they walked by it. She pulled out money to get some tokens before scoping the place out to find what game she wanted to be playing. She did take notice of the prizes available but didn't see anything she wanted, so she didn't even have to worry about getting tickets and instead went to the wall where video games were lined up, picking a racing game to play._

 _On the opposite side of the mall another sibling squabble happened to be taking place. But instead of them walking they stood in one spot, making the people that had to walk around them, annoyed for the obstruction in their way. A security guard hovering close by, not wanting a fight in his mall._

 _"Why can't we?" Sebastian whined. All he wanted to do was spend his allowance at the arcade like he was promised he could do. Instead, he had been dragged from store to store for no apparent reason than his brother wanted to be a jerk._

 _"I told you that I would take you to the arcade after I get what I need," Jeremy stressed, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache coming on._

 _"We've been here an hour, and you've bought nothing!" Seb remarked, tossing his arms in the air._

 _"And I told you, that I can't find what I am looking for," Jeremy sighed. "You know what, you're 12 now, go to the arcade and I'll come get you when I've found what I am looking for and that way I don't have to listen to you whine and complain," Jeremy told him through clenched teeth, so over having a younger brother at this point in his life. Like why did his parents need to have a third child for? That wasn't a question he wanted to go digging into, ever!_

 _"Jere, that's the best idea you've had all day," Seb sarcastically smirked, walking off, ready to spend his money on video games._

 _He chuckled walking by a girl who was muttering under her breath as she played a game and by the looks of it was killing it as she won the race she was in. His blood ran cold hearing her mutter 'Stupid Jeff' under her breath, as a new race started and she shifted gear, while swerving around other cars to get in first place, fishtailing around a corner._

 _"Are you talking about Jeff Sterling?" The question was out of his mouth before he could think the words let alone stop them. Even he had a problem with Jeff, they didn't get along period._

 _"How do you know my brother?" She asked, quickly eying him up, not wanting to crash or lose her race by taking her eyes off the screen._

 _"I, uh, go to school with him," he offered, coming to stand by her. "Sebastian Smythe," he introduced to her._

 _"Onyx," she nodded, turning the wheel hard to make the turn that came up on her. "I take it you're not friends with him," she commented, the finish line coming into sight. "If you were than you would be with him and not his little sister, that and ya know, you would have been to his birthday party," she shrugged, having won the race and turning to look at him. "So why don't you like my brother?" She asked, moving from the seat she was in to stand in front of him._

 _"We just don't get along," he shrugged. It wasn't if he had tried to talk to him, he knew when he started going there last year that he wouldn't ever get along with Jeff, they ran in two very different circle of friends. He has on occasion stood up to Jeff, when he was trying to impress his friends._

 _"So you're the one that keeps beating him out for the lead vocals for over half the songs, the one..." He was cutting her off before she could finish what she had to say._

 _"Yes, that's me," he chuckled. "So he talks about me, huh?" Seb smirked. Onyx laughed, shrugging her shoulders._

 _"More like he mocks and complains,"_ _she informed him with a smirk, going to walk away. "Want to play air hockey?" She asked, seeing that one of the two air hockey tables was free._

 _"Sure," he nodded, following behind her. She paid for the first game. "What makes you mad at your brother?" He questioned, getting ready as she set to hit the puck his way, blocking it from going in and sending it back at her. Digging into anything Jeff said behind his back wasn't going to bother him. He wouldn't let it._

 _"I tagged along with him today, because despite everything, I do like spending time with my brother," she sighed, hitting the plastic puck a bit harder than she intended when it went flying off the table. "Sorry," she told him sheepishly._

 _"No worries," he laughed._

 _"He just makes me mad, because all I want to do is spend time with him and he could care less and wants to spend every waking hour with his friends and not his little sister," she finished telling him._

 _"As it turns out, I have plenty of time because my brother doesn't want to hang out either," he shrugged, watching the puck fly past him and sink into the goal on him. "It would get under your brother's skin. His little sister being friends with the guy he doesn't get along with at school," he suggested with a laugh._

 _"I can see we're going to become best friends." Her laughter died on her lips when she saw her brother and his merry little band of friends walking up to them. "What do you want?" She asked, abandoning her game with Seb._

 _"Can't a worried brother come check on his sister?" He teased, she rolled her eyes. If she thought for a second, she could get away with it she would flick him off._

 _"Most can, but you can't," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest._

 _"That hurts," he smirked, causing her to roll her eyes. "And not only that but you are hanging out with a total dweeb," he laughed, looking at Seb._

 _"Yeah, well, he's better company than you can ever hope to be," she retorted, walking around the table, and dragging Seb off with her. Laughter ringing out behind them as they left the arcade. "I'm sorry about him," she told him. "I'll buy you an ice cream," she offered, not really sure how to make up for the stunt with her brother._

 _"It's fine," he told her. "How about you buy me an ice cream, and I buy you one," he counter offered._

 _"Deal," she smiled, heading in the direction they needed to be for ice cream._

 _"Aww, look, little Sebby found himself a girlfriend," Jeremy cooed, walking up behind them._

 _"Shut up," Seb gritted out, turning to face his brother. "She's not my girlfriend," he stated. "What do you want, Jeremy?" He sighed._

 _"I wanted to see if you were ready to go, Dylan's waiting," he relayed to his brother._

 _Seb looked between his brother and Onyx, he was having fun hanging out with her and he really didn't want it to end, but he knew that he couldn't keep both his brother's waiting on him._

 _"I'll give you another half hour, then we have to go," Jeremy told his brother, heading off once more._

 _"So that ice cream?" He asked, turning to look at Onyx. She smiled, and they continued on their way._

* * *

"Now I see why you liked dating jerks," Seb teased.

"Yeah, but sometimes, they surprise you," she smiled, kissing her boyfriend's cheek.

"I don't get it," Tina said, clearly confused, looking at everyone. "It took me years to be okay with Mike and Mikki being best friends. How can you be okay with it?" She asked, her sole focus on Clint.

"Trust," Clint easily stated, kissing the top of his girlfriend's head. "If you can't trust the person you are with, why are still with them? A good foundation is based on trust," he smiled. He jumped to conclusions once, and it taught him a very valuable lesson, one he didn't need to be repeated.

"Would you still trust them if they shared a tent at any point?" Tina inquired.

"We have shared a tent," Seb quickly said. "Doesn't mean anything was going on between us. Take that as you want," he said feeling offended that he had to defend his friendship with Onyx yet again to someone that didn't get it.

"I take it you two shared a tent when you, Mike started to date Tina?" Onyx asked, getting Mike to nod.

"It wasn't anything," Mikki sighed. "We were neighbors, and I knew how cute Mike was, I had a crush on him when I first saw him, but we became friends and the crush went away," she shrugged, being open and honest with the room.

"After being friends we decided to have this little camp out at the end of summer, our own little special way to close out our summer. It wasn't a big deal," Mike stressed.

"It is when you cancel plans with your girlfriend to hang out with your best friend," Tina stressed.

"I don't get it," Clint shrugged, not seeing the problem at all. Maybe not seeing the problem happened to be the problem, but he highly doubted that. "Onyx has canceled on me to spend time with Seb," he commented. It never bothered him as it shouldn't because after a lot of things they have been through, he trusted her, like she trusted him.

"Does it bother you, baby?" Seb asked, turning to face his girlfriend. He has done it a few times, tried to do it quite a few times more than he has, but Onyx had figured him out and threatened him not to be canceling on Mikki for her, when she was fine and could spend time with him at a different time.

"No," Mikki answered shaking her head. "I know what it's like, because I do it as well. And I get how hard it can be to balance your friendship with your relationship as you want to give both an equal amount of time," she went on to explain.

"You would tell me if it ever bothered you right?" Seb asked softly, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"Babe, you know I would," Mikki told him equally as soft.

"I do want to know why you two aren't living together," Mike commented. "Nothing personal," he said looking at Onyx.

"None taken," Onyx laughed. It wasn't like before when she had taken offense to that, but to her it had felt more like he wanted to be rid of her, more than anything else. Because she wouldn't have moved out on him like that, she would have stayed until he could get his own place that didn't cost as much as their place did. "And since you bring it up, it is something to be curious about. It's not that hard to see how in love they are with each other," she remarked.

"We don't want to rush," Seb stated. "We've talked about it, and it is an ongoing conversation," he nodded, giving Mikki's knee a squeeze.

"It's a commitment we want to be ready for. We like what we have and don't want to rush into anything that could ruin what we have," Mikki told the room, wanting to make it clear that they were not ready to live together as of yet. Seb has yet to meet her parents.

"I do hope that I am not a factor in this, Seb," she warned her best friend. She only wanted him happy, the very last thing she wanted to do is hold him back from that happiness. "The lease is up next month; we haven't gotten around to resigning it yet," she said, giving him a pointed look. "And there is a few one bedrooms that I can transfer into. Dave wouldn't mind, or if he doesn't allow that, I can find a different place," she told him with a shrug acting like it wasn't a big deal, because really for her it wasn't this huge deal.

"Sweets, we both know that Dave will allow it. I mean you are best friends with his husband," Seb laughed. "He will make sure you are happy, so Kurt doesn't go about bitching at him for making you cry," he laughed.

"That is true," Onyx laughed, slipping her arm through her boyfriends, cuddling a bit more into him. "All I am saying is don't factor me into the decision you make. All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy, Seb and a blind person can see the way you and Mikki love each other," she smiled, giving her best friend the nudge he didn't know he needed, because in the back of his mind he wouldn't risk making a risky decision if it hurt anyone he cared about.

"Thanks," Seb smiled, nudging her with his elbow. "Now I feel like I need to be warning, Clint how you like to hog the whole bed and covers," he teased.

And just like that, they jumped to another topic to laugh over as they got to learn more about each other. Five out of six people being relaxed could be called a good night, because Onyx had to wonder what Mikki already knew, if Tina ever truly relaxed.


	23. Chapter 23

_**As always Glee belongs to its rightful owners and I mean no harm to those characters. Onyx, belongs to me, and she can not be used without my permission. Mikki and Jeremy belong to KikiJuanita, and you need to go over to her page and ask permission to use either of them, if you do so wish.**_

 _ **I do want to warn everyone that there is talk about depression within this chapter and it will be in the next one as well. I personally know how it can affect you and how hard it is to say something, anything. As it is something that I have struggled with for years and I know how it can affect everyone differently.  
So if it is something that you are going through, please ask for help, and don't let your pride stand in the way of seeking help.**_

 _ **With that said, enjoy!**_

* * *

"What are you two doing?" Onyx asked, walking into the apartment, holding the door for Clint. She was only stopping by to get things for a weekend away.

"Fighting over what we are going to be for this Halloween party that Mike and Tina are having next Saturday," Seb sighed.

"You should come, Onyx," Mikki invited. "Bring Clint with you," she said.

"I would like that," Onyx nodded, sitting on the edge of the closest chair, Clint sitting on the arm of the same chair. "But it won't work," she shook her head. "Blaine is having the party at the bar, and I have to ditch out of that early because Clint has a party at his club," she explained. It would be too much if she were to go to Mike and Tina's party as well. There were times that one Halloween party is pushing it, two is more than she wants to attend and she couldn't even try to make three Halloween parties on the same night.

"Don't worry about it," Mikki smiled. "You've got a bit on your plate there," she nodded. "What are you two going as?"

"Yeah man, what couple costume did she rope you into?" Seb asked, amusement written all over his face.

"Unless he wants to dress as a teacup or a white rabbit, it won't be much of a couples costume," she shrugged.

"Mad hatter, again?" Seb laughed, shaking his head. "He could always dress up as the Cheshire cat," he chuckled.

"How many times have you been the Mad Hatter, babe?" Clint asked, curiosity rolling through him.

"Two or three," she shrugged, letting the hundred or more times settle into the background. It was by far her favorite book growing up and she loved the Mad Hatter. "It's been years, like freshman year of college years ago," she told him.

"Why can't I dress as the Mad Hatter and you can be Alice?" Clint questioned. "That is if you wanted to be the whole couples costume thing," he shrugged, not so sure about it anymore.

"Or you ya know, you both could be the Mad Hatter," Mikki commented shrugging.

"We'll sort it out," Onyx said, pushing herself up. "Just don't let him be the Flash," she smirked looking at her friend. "It's his fall back costume, and it needs to be put to rest," she shared, walking to her room, Clint following behind to leave the couple alone while they worked out their costumes. "I could care less what we are for Halloween, you could be Frankenstein and I could be Cleopatra for all I care, as long as I am with you, I am happy," she told him, going to her closet to pull out her suitcase.

"We could be the Muppets for all I care," he laughed, falling backwards onto her bed.

"We're a little old for the Muppets, baby," she told him shaking her head. "We can be anything; I really don't care, we don't have to do the whole couples thing," she told him, giving him a look over her shoulder as she went to the closest to sort through her clothes to figure out what she wanted to take with on their little weekend getaway.

"We'll have to take a look before too much longer or the pickings are gonna be slim," he shrugged, watching as she tossed clothes from the closest to her bed. A mix of jeans, skirts and a few dresses. "You do know that we are going to be gone for a total of like two days, right?" He questioned.

"I do know this, but someone won't say where we are going so it's not like I can pack what I know I need so I need to over pack, just a bit," she replied, folding the clothes on her bed to place in the suitcase.

"Yeah, still not telling you," he smirked.

"Why do I put with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, walking to her dresser.

"You love me," he answered. In that moment the world around them stopped. Neither one of them sure what to say to that. "Onyx," he said, making a move to get up. She shook her head, spinning from the frozen state she had taken at his words to face him.

"Don't take it back," she snapped, turning around to look at him. "Don't try to justify saying it," she said, leaning backwards on her dresser.

"It is just a saying," he told her instead. She shook her head. It wasn't just a saying, not now, not here. There was a lot more to it than that.

"Do you?" She asked, waving her hands in front of her, willing for the words to be visible between them. She's never had this hard of a time in telling anyone how she felt, she didn't know why it is that way with the man before her, the very man who captured her heart when she wasn't quite ready for him to do so.

"Do I what? Love you?" He asked, swallowing thickly. She nodded her head, pulling the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth, her teeth sinking into the flesh of her lip. "I love you," he simply told her.

"Okay," she nodded giving him a smile.

He raised an eyebrow, not pushing or questioning her on the response she gave him. He's been around her as a friend and as her boyfriend to know that no good is going to come from him giving her any kind of push into her feelings. She would sort them out on her own, he found no reason to be worried. She isn't the type of person to be with someone if she didn't think things would work out.

"I like you a lot," she said, pushing her suitcase out of her way, to sit next to him on the bed. "I don't know if I am quite ready to say those specific words back to you, because they need to mean something and they're not words I like to toss around," she told him.

"You don't think I said them just to say them do you?" He asked looking a mix of panic and hurt clouded his eyes.

She quickly shook her head, grasping his hands in hers, pressing a soft and sweet kiss against his lips. "I know that you mean them," she whispered, moving away from his lips an inch. "You deserve my love, and I want to give it you when I am ready. I don't want to say it and not mean it," she assured him. "Trust me, you will be the first person I tell, even if it's the middle of the night and it won't be said over the phone, I'll show up at your door to say the words when they mean everything," she promised him.

He laughed, capturing her lips with his own, pulling her closer, his hand pulling her hair free from the pony she had in. "You're crazy," he chuckled, resting his forehead against hers. "But I happen to like crazy and all," he smirked.

She smiled, rolling her eyes at him as she got up to get what she needed from the bathroom. With it all packed and zipped shut; they were off. As everything else she needed is in her purse.

"I'll be back sometime Sunday afternoon," she is in the process of saying when she walks into the living room, seeing the standoff between Mikki and Seb. "Do I want to know?" She asked slowly, placing her suitcase by the door.

"Would you mind telling your best friend that there is nothing wrong with going as the tin man or say the cowardly lion," Mikki stated, eyes focused on her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I can't do that," Onyx sighed shaking her head. She wouldn't put Seb in a place like that. "I think you need to find another movie, or ya know a show to find inspiration from," she nodded.

"Look, I am not stupid, I know about his dislike of the Wizard of Oz, but what is so wrong with Dorothy, the cowardly lion, the tin man or the scarecrow?"

"Nothing, but no," Seb said firmly. "You know my feelings towards that whole movie. And I haven't been sitting here telling you that we need to dress as something from a movie or a show you don't like," he told her.

"Just tell her Seb," Onyx sighed. Seb shot her a look of hell no I am not saying a word. "Fine," she warned, glaring at her friend.

"Would you like to fill the rest of the class in?" Mikki asked half amused, half pissed that they weren't telling her the rest of the story.

"I hate you," he lobbed at Onyx. Who in return shook her head, knowing he held no ill feelings towards her. "When I was 13, I went to this party with Onyx and at this point she stayed at my home more than she was at her home. So it was natural for her to crash on my bedroom floor. We had to be home by midnight and at 2 in the morning Jeremy and his friends snuck into my room dressed as the flying monkeys. They opened the window and made the noises and everything," he explained, looking down.

"Jeremy's friend did have a nice black eye for a while after that," Onyx stated with a smirk.

"That's just horrible," Mikki sighed. She couldn't even imagine doing anything like that to her siblings or them doing such a thing to her or anyone. Pranks and jokes were made, but nothing quite like that.

"It was harmless then, I have realized that," Seb nodded. It freaked him out then, made him not talk to Jeremy for nearly a month, but he got over it and he now he can see it for what it is, harmless fun. "But we need to find something else to be," he stressed.

"Okay," Mikki nodded softly.

"Need me, call," she told her best friend, walking to the door, to get her things.

"I will, but I am sure I won't need anything," Seb chuckled. And he wouldn't be calling to ruin his friends weekend away, unless it happened to be an emergency of some sort.

* * *

On the drive to the surprise getaway, Onyx fell asleep, dozing most of the drive, leaving Clint to his own thoughts on the nearly two hour drive. He has known for the past week how much Onyx had came to mean to him and thinking back on how it came out, that wasn't his ideal way to tell her. He hadn't thought about how or the when, and he wasn't going to make it anything over the top and make it every walking cliché in the book, but it would have been when she was more willing to find that she loves him the same way.

But now that it's been said, he can't regret that she knows his feelings and how deep they run for her. If anything he is happy that his feelings towards her came out, gave her more insight in knowing that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her because he cared deeply for her.

"Have a nice nap?" He asked, amusement in his voice, seeing his girlfriend start to stir as they were closing in on what he has planned for the next few days.

"Why'd you let me sleep the whole way? Did I sleep the whole way?" She asked around a yawn, taking her surroundings in, seeing lush green fields on both sides of the road.

"For the most part," he chuckled, reaching over to give her knee a small squeeze, his thumb rubbing against the bare skin of her knee from the rips in her jeans.

"In that case, it was a lovely little nap. I didn't even know I was quite that tired," she shared, resting her head on the headrest to look at her boyfriend.

"You have gone from being able to sleep the day away to getting up at the crack of dawn," he pointed out, slowing down to turn on a dirt road.

She nodded, agreeing with him to extant. Most days she hadn't been able to sleep the day away, not with her work at the community center. A handful of days she had been able to sleep while into the day. Dealing with three different classes of teenagers five days a week isn't exactly a walk in the park.

"Maybe," she shrugged. It really could have been from the lack of sleep since school started, but she really didn't know if there happened to be more to it or not. "Are we really spending the next few days in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at him seeing the log cabin, a small pond behind the house.

"Is there something wrong with that?" He asked, pulling the car to stop and turning it off once he had it in park.

"Well, you see I wasn't let in on the fact I needed a swimsuit of any kind, therefore I didn't bring one," she told him, opening the car door.

"Now who said anything about swimsuits?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows, holding a smug smirk on his face. Tempting enough for Onyx to lean over and get herself tangled up with her boyfriend the best one can across the middle of a car.

"You might end up being the death of me," she remarked, matching the smirk he wore mere moments ago.

"Now what happened to the title of best boyfriend, ever?" He gasped in a playfully shock.

"Hmm, can't say I ever said such a thing," she stated, climbing from the car, walking to the trunk to wait for him to join her.

"It's a good thing I love you," he remarked, pulling the trunk open, grabbing both bags before she had a chance to get her own bag.

"Is that so?" She questioned, shutting the trunk and following behind him to the front door of the cabin. He winked unlocking the door and placing the bags just inside the door to let her enter the place first.

Once the door shut, she pulled her boyfriend into her for a heated kiss, it had been far too long since she had been able to spend any real amount of alone time with her boyfriend and she wanted to cherish the time the best way she knew how when she craved the man before her.

The first night had been fun and amazing, so much so that they had went to bed curled up in the king sized bed, identical smiles on their faces, ready to enjoy the next few days fully without any interruptions by phones or people intruding on them.

The only thing that hadn't been factored into the whole equation had been when Onyx woke up hours before the sun was to rise. Laying next to Clint made her feel suffocated and she slowly trying not to disrupt his sleep, got out of bed. She dressed, grabbing a spare blanket as she went, making herself a cup of tea and headed outside to the back porch overlooking the pond. With the blanket wrapped around her, she sat down in the swinging chair, holding her steaming cup of tea in both her hands.

She let herself get lost in her thoughts as the world around her slowly started to come to life the longer she sat there. She enjoyed hearing the owls hooting in the distance, and the birds chirping around her as they started to wake the lighter it grew outside, her eyes adjusting to the early dawn light. Letting it all wash over her, wanting to be rid of the somber mood she found herself in. The last thing she wanted to happen on her weekend away was fall down the dark tunnel of depression.

She closed her eyes, taking deep even breathes, wanting to go back to the day before. The problem with being consumed by yourself, she didn't hear her boyfriend moving around the cabin, didn't smell the bitterness of the coffee he put on, nor did she hear the door creak open with her boyfriend taking a seat next to her.

"Baby?" He whispered, not wanting to scare her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a tight smile, looking away quicker than normal. "What's wrong?" He questioned, worry etched into his caring tone, his thumb rubbing circles where it rested on her shoulder. He could see the dark circles under eyes, feel the way she tensed up under his touch, could see in her eyes that something wasn't quite right.

"Nothing," she replied, casting a glance down at her half empty cup of tea, that was cold by now, she was sure of. Clint remained quiet, knowing there was more and he wanted to give her the time she clearly needed. "Everything," she muttered, making a move to get up.

"Onyx, hey," he said, getting up with her, tugging her into a warm hug. "Talk to me," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I can't," she stated, shoving him away, trying to make her escape.

"Let me help," he pleaded. "Let me in, Onyx," he begged, wanting nothing more than to help her through whatever she is currently struggling with.

"It's not that easy, and I'll be fine," she hissed, storming into the cabin, going straight to the bedroom, relieved to see that it had a lock. With the door locked, she curled up in the middle of the bed and cried herself to sleep.

Clint followed her back into the cabin but instead of going to the bedroom, he retreated to the kitchen, making a start on breakfast. He is going to show and prove to Onyx that he isn't going anywhere. He wants to show her that she can trust him with whatever she is feeling. He doesn't want her to hide any part of her from him. He's not going to stop loving her because she has a few bad days.

With breakfast done and on a tray, he walked to the bedroom, finding the door to be locked. He sighed, using one hand to hold the tray as he lightly knocked on the door. "Onyx, baby," he softly called out, not wanting to wake her if she happened to have fallen asleep. "I've got food," he said, not knowing if she was awake and just plain out ignoring him. It'll be out here if you get hungry," he informed her, placing the tray on the floor in front of the door. "Please eat something."

He racked his brain for hours trying to figure out if he had done something wrong the night before, but every time he came up empty handed. He thought about calling Sebastian or Jeff to get their inputs on the whole matter, but he didn't know what's wrong with Onyx to even ask them for help.

He found things to do to keep his mind from over worrying about his girlfriend, but she was there in the forefront of his mind, all day. Because as darkness started to set upon him, he realized that she had spent the day in bed locked away from the world and mostly him. And that hurt deeply.

He was in the middle of contemplating about picking the lock on the bedroom door, when his girlfriend stepped out of the room, her suitcase behind her. He dreaded to know the words about to come from her mouth, as he had an inkling he already knew what she wanted. And he would give it to her, if it meant she wasn't in pain any longer.

"Can we please go?" She asked him, her focus on the wooden floor. There isn't a way for their getaway to go back to being the amazing weekend they had planned.

"Give me a few minutes to pack," he told her, surprising even himself, with keeping his emotions in check. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" He asked, pleading with his eyes, for her to open up to him. The only response he got happened to be a small shrug. He sighed, heading to the bedroom, to pack everything he unpacked yesterday.

To say the car ride home was anything but silent would be understatement as a heavy awkwardness settled in the car, one that had never been there before. She kept far away from him as she physically could, her eyes focused on the vast blackness of the night, the stars and the moon covered up by the clouds that moved in. The radio nothing more than to provide background noise.

"I need Jeff," she told him in a broken voice, once they got within city limits.

"Okay," he told her, licking his lips. Wondering just what his girlfriend is going through to break her to the point that she needs to see her brother over her best friend. "Onyx," he started to say.

"Don't," she warned him, shaking her head, something he could barely make out with the street lamps shining in for the brief second he drove past them.

They rode the elevator together, standing on opposite sides of the small box that took them up to their separate destinations. When the doors opened on the floor she needed, the best she gave him was nothing more than a small broken smile. And he hated that look on her face.

Once he got to his place, he put his luggage on his bed and found some shorts and an old shirt, grabbing a pair of running shoes, to go out for a late night run.

"Onyx?" Jeff questioned, pulling his apartment door open, confused on why his sister stood before him at such a late hour in the night, when should had been off for the weekend with her boyfriend. "Is everything okay?" He asked, stepping aside to let her in.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "It's been years," she tacked on softly, sitting in the middle of the couch, leaving her suitcase by the door.

"How long?" He asked with a sigh, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her. She easily fell into him, her eyes closing, feeling safe in her brother's warmth.

"4 this morning," she replied, feeling her brother tense up for a moment before he relaxed, a hand rubbing gentle circles on her back.

"You should really tell Clint. Because I can't imagine him being anything other than worried and concerned over how broken you seem to be," he prompted.

"You know I can't," she harshly told him. It had taken her years to explain the depression to anyone, placing a happy domineer on her face that was anything but real, to fool those closest to her.

It had been Jeff to figure out that she had been faking her happiness. And he had been there, helping her out of her funk, the only way he knew how. He had always been thankfully that her depression never resulted in self-harm or thoughts about suicide.

"But you can't push him away, he's going to take it wrong if he hasn't already. You can't shrug your way out of explaining things to him," Jeff told her. "You'd be surprised how strong others can be, once you let your pride move out of the way," he said, resting his head against hers.

"He told me that he loves me yesterday, before we left," she told her brother. "And being the broken person that I truly am, I can't say it back and I go right ahead and fall into a bout of depression, something that hasn't reared its ugly head since Sophomore year of college," she bitterly spit out. "So you can see why I think it might be best to cut my losses now and let him go find someone that isn't me to deal with," she said on the verge of tears.

"That is for him to decide, and he can't decide that if he doesn't have all of the facts," Jeff stated. "And don't give me any bullshit about protecting him or any other sort of crap, Onyx," he warned.

"Leave it be Jeff," she stated, moving away from him. "Can I crash here or not?" She asked, pushing herself from the couch.

Jeff nodded getting her blankets and a pillow, knowing that she wouldn't take his bed, as she hasn't done so any other times. He could only hope that by morning she felt more like herself and not fall deeper than she already has.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey all. Mikki belongs to KikiJuanita, and cannot be used without her permission, all other unrecognizable characters belong to me and none of them can be used without my permission. All recognizable characters belong to Glee.**

 **It is explained within the chapter but I will explain it here as well. Hailing from Minnesota, I have eaten and made this dish countless times, although I have never made it with chicken. In Minnesota we do call it a tater tot hotdish and really it's just a different name for a casserole. But I do recommend trying it as it is a favorite dish of many Minnesotan's.**

 **And I am sorry with the wait of this chapter but personal life does come first and I've had things that I need to take care of before I could write.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"You made it," Clint smiled, walking to stand by his girlfriend. He didn't know if she was going to show up or not. The conversations and the messages between them the last few days hadn't been much. Seeing her dressed as a cute little blue alien.

"I wouldn't miss this," she smiled softly at him. That and she still needed to talk to him. She had done a good job in avoiding the conversation. Even with Jeff and Seb threatening to tell Clint, because he deserved to know that it wasn't anything he had done. She just didn't want to ruin Halloween for him.

"You mean having Mikki's brother as the lead for the house band?" He teased her, wrapping himself around her.

"I have heard how amazing he is," she shrugged, slipping her arms around his waist. "Does this mean that I don't have to sing with you next Friday night?" She asked with a tease.

"Oh no, that's still on. You can't get out of that promise," he chuckled, pressing a small kiss to her temple.

"Mikki was right about her brother," she commented, letting Roderick's voice wash over her as he sang. "You're kinda in debt to Mikki for suggesting her brother," she told him.

"Don't remind me," he grumbled softly, afraid to know what favor Mikki would be cashing in on. "Want something to drink?" He offered.

"Make it a virgin cocktail, please?" She asked him with a smile.

"Can do," he nodded, giving her a look filled with curiosity. "Any certain reason as to why?" He questioned, leading her to the bar.

"Other than not wanting to get drunk?" She asked. "No," she answered shaking her head. Other reasons were things she wasn't about to get into surrounded by a club filled with people she didn't know.

"How many weeks did it take you to come up with the couple costume?" Jason asked chuckling, walking up to them, a beer in hand.

Onyx and Clint looked at each other laughing when they realized in fact they were matching. She is dressed as an alien and with Clint dressed as a Men in Black agent. "Would you believe us if we told you that it was a last minute thing?" He questioned his friend, fixing Onyx her drink. He was curious as to why and felt it was more than what she was letting on.

"Yes," Jason laughed. "Because that is who you are, dude. This one," he said, tossing an arm over her shoulder. "Not so much."

"Then you don't know this one very well," Seb laughed, nudging Onyx with his shoulder. "You feeling okay?" He asked softly. She nodded, wanting to focus on anything other than the way she was feeling, she really just wanted to enjoy the night with her friends and family.

"I didn't think I would be seeing you guys tonight," she commented, looking around to see if she could spot her best friends girlfriend.

"Miks wanted to see her brother and check in with him," Seb explained, letting her know what direction to look. "We're gonna stay for a few songs," he added on. She did find it understandable they weren't going to stay the night as they did have other parties to get to for the night. "Can we talk for minute?"

"Sure," she nodded with a frown, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

"You guys can use my office," Clint told them, moving from behind the bar to hand Onyx her drink. "I'll show you," he offered, placing his hand on the small of her back as they walked. "I'll be by the bar," he informed his girlfriend, kissing the corner of her of mouth.

"What's going on?" She asked, sitting on the edge of Clint's desk, Seb standing behind one the chairs reserved for guests in the office, his hands taking up residency on the back of one.

"I found a test at the house, something you want to tell me?" Seb asked, looking a bit pale.

"Breathe, Sebastian," she told him. "I have nothing to tell because I don't have an answer and if I did, I think I owe it to Clint to discuss things with him first," she nodded, chewing on her brightly painted blue bottom lip. "It's nothing you need to worry about even though you will worry," she stated, pushing herself off the desk and to hug her friend. "Really, enjoy your night with Mikki. Anything I need to know there?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing you need to know about," he chuckled. "If you need anything, you know where to find me," he chuckled.

"Yeah at Mikki's place," she teased. "I don't understand why you don't just move in with her already," she commented, opening the door, the music quick to encase them.

"It's being discussed," Seb told her. "Enjoy your night," he told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek and disappearing into the crowd.

"Everything okay?" Clint asked, pulling her into his side, relaxing with her next to him. Something he missed the last few days with her keeping her distance. He still wanted answers but he didn't know how to go about it without her dodging the the topic or getting mad at him for bring it up.

"It is and it is something we need to talk about later among other things," she told him, resting her head against his chest, feeling drained already.

"We can go whenever," he told her, pressing a kiss atop her head.

"I don't want to ruin this for you," she told him.

"You wouldn't be ruining anything," he whispered, running a hand over her back. "Promise," he told her, the second she looked up at him apprehensive.

"If you're sure," she softly told him. He barely heard it over the music.

On the way out, all he had to do was inform his friend and one of his business partners that he was out and they would close up and lock the place up for him, knowing that he needed this time.

"Can I borrow a shirt?" She asked him, not wanting to wear the skin tight dress she had on, that and a shower to wash the body paint off would be nice.

"You know you don't have to ask," he told her, walking to his room to grab her a shirt. He walked back out not only with the shirt but with a towel as well. "We can talk after," he told her.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, turning to walk to the bathroom, only to stop and walk back to him, pressing her lips against his for a moment before retreating to the bathroom to take a shower and scrub away the blue body paint.

While she took a shower, he too changed into something more comfortable and set about making them something to eat, not knowing when the last time she had eaten was but it had been early afternoon that he last ate and he was starving.

"It smells good out here," she said, making him jump slightly, from not hearing the bathroom door open nor her footsteps as his back was turned.

"I wasn't sure if you were hungry," he shrugged. "Figured I would whip something up for us to eat, before this talk we have," he told her.

"I am starving," she told him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Anything I can help with?" She asked, pressing a kiss to his arm.

"All that needs to be done is the table, so mind setting the table?" He asked.

"Not at all," she told him, moving to get the plates and everything else she needed as he took the food out of the oven. "What did you make?" She questioned.

"It's a tater tot hotdish, I just used chicken instead of beef," he answered.

"Can't say I've heard of it," she shrugged, placing the plates and such on the table.

"It's a casserole, to everyone else," he chuckled. "I spent a summer in Minnesota when I was little with my aunt and we had it a few times," he explained.

"Before the Berry's adopted you?" She questioned him. He nodded, not wanting to really get into that story. He knew it was something he would have to clue her into at some point, but tonight wasn't the night.

"She passed away a few months after I spent the summer with her," he told her sadly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know," she shrugged lamely.

"How could you?" He asked, bringing the food to the table. "It's okay, it's been years," he told her placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'm not really sure what I have to drink," he frowned, trying to recall what there is in his fridge to drink.

"I'll look," she laughed walking to the fridge. "Do you want a beer?" She asked pulling out the cranberry ginger ale, to pour a glass for herself.

"Nah, I'll have some of that," he nodded to the bottle in her hands. She nodded and poured a second glass.

"I'm sorry for the bit of distance," she told him, playing with what food is left on her plate. "I've struggled with depression since I was teenager," she started to explain, her focus on the food on her plate. "I thought I had a handle of it and I can't explain why it choose that moment to make a return after having it under control for so long. It's easier to push people away. Jeff and Seb refused to let me do that growing up. I didn't mean to worry you, she rushed out."

"I understand it, Onyx. Please don't push me away again. I want to help you," he told her softly, reaching over to place his hand on top of hers. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he told her, lacing his hand with hers. "I love you."

"I love you," she smiled, leaning forward to meet him for a small kiss. "I really thought you wouldn't want to deal," she confessed.

"Now you're being crazy. Love isn't easy and I have come to accept everything about you. I'll deal with anything you toss my way," he told her.

"Even if I happen to be pregnant?" She questioned softly, darting her eyes away from him.

"That isn't something just to deal with, Onyx. That is a lifetime commitment," he sighed, not quite sure how he felt over that news. It was something they hadn't talked about, something he thought they had time before it needed to be addressed.

"You think I don't know?" She asked, letting his hand go and making a move to stand up and pace around his living room. "I didn't ask for it to happen. I am not ready to be a mother, we're not ready to parents. But at the end of the day I wasn't the only to make a baby if I am pregnant," she rattled out.

"Baby, hey," he told her, stopping her pacing and pulling her into his body. "If you are we will figure everything out together. I won't make you raise our baby alone," he assured her. "Have you taken a test? A doctor's appointment?"

"Multiple tests and if one is positive the next is negative. So I don't know if it's false positive or a false negative," she sighed. "Monday afternoon, 4:25 to be exact."

"I'll be there, nothing else matters," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Hey now," he softly told her, pulling back to look in her eye. "It's nothing to cry over," he said, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"I know," she laughed, sniffling. "I love you," she smiled, standing on her toes to press her lips against his.

"As I love you," he smiled, breaking the kiss. "Why don't you go rest and I'll join you after I've cleaned up," he suggested.

"Or I'll help you and after we can snuggle in bed," she counter offered.

"I can't say no to that," he laughed, sealing his lips over hers for a quick kiss before moving to clean up from their dinner before moving on to snuggling into bed, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Someone looks like hell," Seb laughed, standing in the doorway of her classroom.

"Laugh it up," she grumbled. "Can you take over detention after school for me?" She asked, flipping through her planner for the day.

"And why can't you do it?" Seb asked, entering the classroom, making room for students to enter early.

"Appointment," she told him, softly not wanting her students to overhear them and their conversation.

"I can do that Mikki works late tonight, so it's perfect," he nodded, backing up to the door. "You'll let me know?" He asked.

"Of course I will," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "And the conversation from Saturday hasn't been forgotten and we are going to discuss it," she told him.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he responded with a chuckle. "But we will talk about things," he agreed entering his own office.

She dug out the papers for the day and rolled her eyes at her friend. She did wonder when they would be having that talk as he has seemed to be spending more and more of his time at Mikki's place and other than the last few days she has been known to hole up at Clint's place and it made her wonder why either one of them happened to be still living in an apartment they hardly use.

She walked around the classroom placing a packet on each desk, getting groans from the select students already in the classroom. Chuckling softly under her breath at their groans she went back to her thoughts. Seb and Mikki had been going out long enough to really be thinking about moving in with each other whereas it's only been a few handful of months for herself and Clint not really at the point of moving in with each other, but crazier things could happen. In nearly four months of dating she knew she loves Clint and the feelings are mutual so it might not be a far stretch to talk about moving in with each other.

The bell pulled her from her thoughts. She looked around the classroom, placing the remaining papers on her desk, waiting the final few minutes for the final bell signaling the start of class.

"Ah man," groaned Blake, taking his seat in the middle of the classroom. "Come on Ms. Sterling it's Monday," he whined, holding the packet up. "Can't we have a free day?"

"You know I was up late last night, but yet, here I am," she told him and the rest of the students, having finished with attendance. "And if you wait until after I explain things to you to complain, it would be appreciated," she smiled at him. "You have the period to work on them, and what you don't finish, won't be that big of a deal. I'll cut the grading off for the average place everyone made it to and anything after that will be extra credit, something a few of you need to boost your grades up. And yes you can use your book to help you and since I am allowing books to be used you can work in a small group but you all have to have your packet with answers in it," she informed them.

Soft murmurs went around the room as she sat at her desk and pulled out some papers that needed to put into the grade book to update student grades.

"Leave the packets on your desk and I will collect them," she informed the class a few minutes before the bell is to go off to signal the end of first period.

She left the papers on her desk grabbing the same stack of papers and going around to replace the packets with fresh ones giving her second period class the same instructions as first period. With the first period packets put away to grade over the next few days she went back to putting the grades into the system.

She told her second period class to leave them on their desks as well as she would collect them. With it being her lunch, she waited for the room to be empty and collected the packets placing them in the folder for second period. She locked her room up, seeing that Seb had already taken off for the teacher's lounge.

"Only you would have a breakfast sandwich for lunch," Seb laughed, seeing if his friend had something he could swipe.

"Clint made it for me while I got ready for work this morning," she informed her friend. Without her car she had no choice but to wake Clint up and give her a ride home so she could change and get ready for the school day. He surprised her with making her breakfast, one she didn't have time to eat so she saved it for lunch.

"You tell him what's been going on?" Seb asked, seeing as they were the only two at their little table.

"Yep on both accounts and everything is good," she smiled. "Hey Avery," she smiled, watching said women take a seat at the table. "Did you go party at boyfriend's Halloween party Saturday night?" She asked.

"I went out for an hour, I couldn't refuse Blaine, but called it a night early as I wasn't feeling all that good," she explained. "How was your guys weekend?" She asked, opening the container of her food to take a bite.

"I called it a night early on Saturday, even if things hadn't went that way after leaving," she shrugged. "Yesterday had been more of lazy day in bed," she smiled, recounting how a huge chunk of her time had been spent curled up in Clint's bed. "How did your weekend work out?" She questioned, looking at Seb, a smirk in place knowing he hadn't went home since he wasn't there this morning and there hadn't been any sign of him being there either.

"We did spend the weekend in bed," he teased. "But we had fun," he smiled. "We didn't make it to Blaine's though," he frowned.

"Don't worry about that," Avery told them. "He's having a pre-grand opening party Friday night," she informed them. "You can go to that one," she laughed softly.

"I would love to, but that's when Clint is having his grand opening for his Jazz club, tell Blaine I'm sorry," she frowned. She would have loved to stop at Blaine's to see what he had done with the bar now that it's his and Jeff is killing it on air. "Rain check for sure," she promised.

"We can make it for an hour since we did promise to stop by Clint's," he nodded. "Didn't Blaine say he would at the opening?" Seb asked, looking at Onyx.

"He did," she nodded. "He get dates mixed up?" She asked with a frown. "I know he's been busy getting the bar transformed into his own," she commented.

"He's been exhausting himself with it, so it would be easy for him to forget," Avery nodded. "I'll bring it up to him and let you know what he says tomorrow," she smiled.

"You don't have to," Onyx told her.

"It gives me a bigger excuse to see him other than I miss him," she laughed softly.

"Who said anything about an excuse to see the one you love?" Onyx looked at the door as it opened, a smile shaking across her face seeing the two enter the room.

"Surprise," he chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, tipping her head up for a small kiss.

"I missed you," he smirked, taking a seat next to Seb.

"To my credit, I found him," Dani laughed, grabbing her lunch from the fridge.

"You don't want him," Onyx teased.

"Why is that?" Clint asked curiously.

"Ditto, why other than your boyfriend being that of a male specimen?" Dani inquired, pulling a chair over to sit with them.

"Who wants to be dating a guy or a woman, when they are in love with someone else?" Onyx questioned, resting her hand on Clint's thigh under the table.

"She has a point," Seb laughed.

"Onyx, just the teacher I was looking for," Harlow burst into the teacher's lounge. "You have detention tonight right?" She asked.

"I did, but I pawned it off on Seb, why?" She asked.

"Because I have it Friday night and I need someone else to take that day, so I am trying to trade it off," she sighed.

"I can do that," Seb nodded. "What do you have going on Friday?" He asked.

"Hunter's family," she sighed. "Any tips?" She asked looking at Onyx.

"Nope," she replied shaking her head. "They're really nice and they'll like you. I didn't know things were that serious with Hunter," she commented.

"It's getting there," she smiled. "I do feel bad that things ended badly with the two of you and I'm around that he'll do it all over again," she sighed.

"It's a possibility, but he knows what he lost the first time around so he won't be that stupid to do it again and lose something better," Clint was the one to say.

"He's right," Onyx agreed. "And don't feel bad for me, I found someone better than what I ever had with Hunter," she smiled, looking from her friend to her boyfriend.

"You know how it is, with being hurt by a guy," Harlow sighed.

"I do, but I have also learned that they're not always at fault. Everything that went on with myself and Hunter wasn't just him, half of it was my fault. We both stopped trying and thought it would work out in the end, and that isn't how a relationship works. We didn't fight for each other or tempt to," she shrugged. "You want things with Hunter to work out, than fight for him and the future you want," she told her friend, hearing the bell ring. "How long you here for?" She asked her boyfriend.

"Until you kick me out of your workplace," he laughed.

"In that case, you can help me grade some papers," she smirked. "Dani did make you sign in right?" She asked, looking her boyfriend over making sure he had a visitor name tag on.

"Yep," he laughed, pointing to the sticker.

She smiled, getting her spot cleaned up. She quickly rinsed the container out and grabbing her drink and motioning for Clint to follow her and stop chatting with Seb.

"What I am doing?" He asked, taking a seat in the front row in the desk closest to her desk. She smiled at him, digging out the packets.

"For now you can figure out what the average number that students had been able to get to is," she informed him, getting him paper and a pen.

"I'll try not to screw it up," he chuckled, digging right into the work.

While he took care of that for her she got busy finalizing the pockets for her last period of the day before printing them off. She let Clint know that she would be back as she needed to get the packets. He nodded and went back to figuring out the average question her students had made it to.

"I'm sorry," the soft feminine voice said startling him. "I was looking for Ms. Sterling."

"She went to get some papers, she should be back shortly," he told her. He would offer to help her, but he didn't know where anything is and what advice he could give her on anything.

"Miss Grant, what can I do for you?" Onyx asked entering the room to see a nervous student waiting for her.

"I'm going to be gone Wednesday through Friday and I know we have our final on Wednesday, so I was wondering if I could take the test today or tomorrow, if that's okay?" She asked, coming to stand in front of Onyx's desk.

"If you can stay after school tomorrow, I can let you take the test then," Onyx told her, making a note of it not wanting to forget. Wednesday would be the last day of first term and Thursday she would be getting new students.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Emily Grant smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Sterling," she smiled, leaving the classroom.

"And you would think I already had her for the day, but nope I get her next period," Onyx laughed, getting things in order. "You don't have to stay, you can go," she told him.

"Nah, I've got nothing else to do and I've finished. They have all made it problem 50," he told her, getting them in a neat stack. "Anything else?"

"For now?" She asked, glancing at the time. "No, you should probably go and I'll see you after," she told him.

"Alright," he nodded, handing her the stack of packets. "I think I can find my way back," he teased.

"It's a real hardship making it straight down the hall from the main office," she laughed. "Meet me in here?" She asked him.

"That I can do," he laughed pressing a quick kiss to her lips, not wanting to get carried away in a school filled with teens.

The bell sounded to signal the end for third period, sending Clint on his way. With the classroom once more to herself she put the desks he used back in order before students started to show up. She shook her head, seeing his cell phone laying on the chair he hadn't been sitting in. She placed his phone on her desk, making sure it was on silent as not wanting his calls or texts to interrupt her class.

"Take one and pass them back," she instructed handing out each packets for each row. "Don't freak out," she laughed, hearing the groans from the students. "Whether you do this or not, is totally up to you," she said, placing the few extras on her desk. "It won't be turned in. But it will help you with your final on Wednesday. So I highly suggest you at least read through it and see what it is you need to study for on the test," she informed them. "And if you do use your study guide, you might be surprised to find that more than a few questions show up on the test," she stated.

"Can we do it in pairs?" Tiffany asked.

"Pairs, or groups," Onyx answered, taking a seat at her desk, flipping through papers. The knock at the door, brought her attention to the person at the door. She smiled, grabbing his phone. "How fair did you get?" She asked, holding his phone out to him.

"I got my car turned on and I needed to check on a few things and I couldn't find my phone and I nearly tore the car apart looking for it before I remembered having it when I entered the school," he chuckled, putting his phone in his pocket.

"It is on silent as I couldn't have it interrupting my class, just like I can't have you be a distraction from their studying," she remarked, seeing that most of the kids in her class were pretending to be doing their work.

"Right," he chuckled. "I'll see you after," he said walking backwards to the door.

"I love you," she smiled, seeing him debating over it, not sure if he should say it or not.

"I love you," he smiled, making his exit.

"What happened to the doctor dude?" Tyler asked.

"You know Tyler, if you would mind your business and do your work you wouldn't be stuck in my class," she teased. "And my personal life is off-limits, but since he can't help himself, that is my boyfriend and Tyler life happened with the doctor dude," she said. "Now back to work," she told them, going back to her desk, to getting started on grading the packets from first period.

"Ms. S, are we turning these in?" Grace asked, cleaning up as it was almost time for the end of the school day.

"No, but do keep them as we're going to be doing them tomorrow as well," she answered and informing them of the plan for the following day. "Have a good rest of your Monday and I will see you tomorrow," she told them, letting them go a few minutes before the bell is to ring.

"You sure you don't need a ride?" Seb asked, stepping inside of the classroom, wanting to be away from the chaos in the halls.

"Positive," she smiled, collecting her things. "He'll be here, but ya know thanks for being so concerned," she told him, placing papers in the right folders so she wouldn't mess them up once inside her bag.

"It's the friend thing," he smirked with a chuckle.

"Of course it is," she laughed. "You busy Wednesday?" She asked.

"You mean other than to teach?" He laughed, walking closer. "I'm free, why?" He asked. "Is this something I am going to regret?" He teased.

"This friendship is one I am starting to regret," she teased. "I just figured, we could get take out and hang out since we haven't really done so in a hot minute," she explained.

"Like takeout from as many different places as we can? The very thing we haven't done since like a year or two after we left college?" He asked, a smirk spreading across his lips, remembering the times they had done so.

"The one and the same," she nodded to confirm. "Think you can still hang?" She challenged.

"The real question here is, can you?" He smirked. She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm all for it," he nodded. He did think it would be a good night to have time with his best friend something they haven't had much time for lately and truthfully he is missing his friend.

"Great," she smiled, going back to packing her things away, Seb going back to his classroom. "I'll be ready in just a few minutes," she informed her boyfriend, seeing him enter from the corner of her eye.

"Take your time, I don't want to rush you," he stated, sitting on a desk as he waited.

"Good to know," she laughed, collecting the last of her stuff. "We can go now," she informed him.

"Need me to take anything?" He asked. She shook her head, she didn't have much and it wasn't a hardship to carry it. As she has carried more out at the end of a school day than what little she has now.

They talked about their days before and after he had showed up at the school as he had no real reason on why he had done that. He did promise not to make a habit out of showing up the way he had and that he would call if he wanted to have lunch with her.

"We never did talk about whether this is something that we want or about our options if you are pregnant," he commented on at the doctor's office waiting on the doctor to show up.

"It would be a relief if we weren't pregnant," she told him. "But if we are pregnant there isn't a choice to make, we'll have a baby to take care of. But if that's not what you want, than you don't gotta stay," she told him, trying to hide how much that would devastate her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he confirmed. "We're in this together," he assured her, kissing the back of her hand. "What do you want?" He asked.

"I'm really not sure," she sighed. "I've wanted to be a mom for a long time now, but we're not even close to being slightly ready for a baby," she finished telling him.

"I am right there with you," he nodded, gently squeezing her hand, wanting to take her nerves for her. Whatever the outcome he would be there every step of the way.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey all, real quick, any and all unrecognizable characters belong to me and you need my permission to use them, except for Mikki as she belongs to KikiJuanita, and you need her permission. All recognizable characters belong to Glee.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"We have pizza, tacos, Chinese, Thai, burgers and fries," she rattled off, grabbing drinks from the fridge.

"With pies and other goodies in the fridge for dessert, which I hardly think either one of us is gonna be needing," Seb laughed, taking the beer from his friend. "That mean there is no baby?" He questioned, nodding to the beer in his friend's hand.

"No baby," she told him. "I know it's a blessing not to be with child, but one day," she told him with a sadness to her voice.

"It's gonna happen one day for you Onyx. When you're more prepared for it, I promise," Seb told her. "Now let's see who can out eat who?" He challenged.

"I don't think we need to be making a challenge," she laughed, looking at the food scattered on the coffee table. "Neither one of us needs to be sick tomorrow," she told him.

"You might be right," he laughed. "How are things going with Clint?" He asked, debating what he wanted to eat first.

"So good that I want to rush into things with him, but I make myself take a step back, because I don't want to rush things and ruin what we have," she explained into the container of orange chicken. "I am trying so hard not to judge my relationship with Clint to any of my old relationships. Things with Clint are so much different. The spark gets bigger and want to be with him all the time. It's different," she sighed, taking a bite of chicken, failing on how she felt about Clint.

"I get it because I feel the same way with Mikki," Seb nodded, tossing his pizza crust in the pizza box. "We talk about moving in together and I want to take that step with her, but then I think that I am rushing things with her and I don't want things to end," he explained.

"Are we talking about where you don't want to live with her until after you're married?" Onyx asked, exchanging the orange chicken for a few fries.

"Not quite that old-fashioned, Onyx," he laughed. "I do want to live with her before that point," he stated. "Rushing into things just doesn't feel right," he sighed.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't be rushing into things," Onyx told her friend. "And really dude, I wouldn't feel like you're abandoning me. I did overreacted in such a huge way when I found out about how you met Mikki and I can't stop you from living your life. And I don't want to. I'll help you pack even," she stressed, kicking his leg.

"It wouldn't do any good," he laughed, tossing a fry at her. "I don't feel right moving into her apartment as that is hers and obviously it would be weird for Miks to move in here," he said and yeah it would be weird and overcrowded for Mikki to live with them. "And we do want to find a place that can be ours," he told her.

"And even though she works for a realtor company, it still takes a while," she nodded in understanding.

"Do you know how hard it is to find a place we both like?" He asked, shaking his head. He really felt as if they weren't going to find one. If one liked a place there was something the other didn't like about the place and they would be back to the drawing board.

"Can't say I do," she told him with a frown. "When I was with Hunter, I loved his place so the idea to live anywhere else just wasn't there," she shrugged. "And I am quite fond of Clint's place. It doesn't take much to make his place into our place if it comes to that," she told him.

"So you are thinking about moving in with him?" He phrased as a question, eyebrow raised as he picked up the carton of General Tso's chicken up to eat.

"The thought is there, but again, I don't want to move too fast and ruin what I have with him. I really like what I have going on that I do want it to last," she nodded, taking a bite of the pineapple fried rice.

"I can't remember a time where you were this serious about a guy. I don't think you were so on the fence with Hunter," he thought out loud.

"I loved Hunter, I did, but what I have with Clint it's levels above what I thought I had with Hunter," she shrugged.

"Maybe you need to have this conversation with your boyfriend," Seb stated. "Make sure that he knows your feelings for him are real and beyond anything you've ever had for any ex of yours," he told her.

"He does know," Onyx nodded, grabbing a taco.

"Does he know because you told him or do you think he knows?" Seb questioned.

"I have told him," she said, swallowing her bite of taco. "Do you think that we should invite our significant others the next time we do this?" She asked, looking at the pile of food they still have scattered about.

"It wouldn't hurt," he nodded. "But not every time, as we need to have a friends night, especially now that we do have our own lives," he commented.

"Very true," she laughed. "And on the bright side, I've got plenty of food to snack on while I get the finals graded," she sighed, glancing at her bag.

"You're not hogging it all. I've got reports to grade," he sighed. "Which I should get started on," he said, making no move to get up and get his bag.

"Yeah, I feel the same way," Onyx chuckled. "Blaine did get a hold of you, right?" She asked, getting up to grab her bag and Seb's.

"About him changing the pre-opening to next Friday night?" He asked, Onyx nodded handing him his bag. "Obviously," he laughed as an answer. "Thanks," he told her.

"No problem," she nodded, sitting down and pulling the tests from her first period out to start grading them. "This does seem like a drag to our friends night in," she laughed.

"Not much we can do when we gotta grade papers," he laughed. "I'm sure we'll need to take breaks," he pointed out.

"Very true," she commented, getting started on grading the tests as Seb started to read the reports he had to grade.

* * *

Thursday for Onyx went by smoothly as it can with getting three new classes of students and going over the rules and the syllabus for the term. All while she finished getting the final grades out for her first term students, pleased to see that they had all passed. Thursday night was spent at home with Seb as they had leftovers for dinner. She crashed on the couch watching a movie while Seb sat at the kitchen table grading papers once more. She offered to help him but he didn't want it as he didn't have much to grade.

Friday had been a busier day for her classes as they got started with their first worksheet, finishing it before the end of class. A worksheet she would grade either Saturday or Sunday depending how she felt tomorrow afternoon.

She did make a quick trip from the school to home, not so much a rush to get home, but she hadn't stuck around, Seb had taken his own car as he was going to be heading over to Mikki's place for the weekend. So that left the place to herself to get ready for opening night at her boyfriend's jazz club. She was prepared to sing Night and Day by Ella Fitzgerald along with singing the duet of Love is Here to Stay by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Daniel Armstrong.

After taking a shower she got dressed. Picking out a dress that Kurt had helped her get specific for the night. She checked herself out in the mirror, smiling as the Unique Vintage 1920s Deco Purple & Black Sequin Veronique Fringe Flapper Dress moved about. She paired the dress with a pair of 1920 inspired black t-strap heels. She did her hair with a 1920's twist putting in place a black feather and silver crystal headband, that too being of 1920's inspired.

Not wanting to take her car or walk the few blocks to the Jazz club, she called a cab, not wanting to wait on any friends to show up.

She smiled when the cab pulled up to the club, she paid the guy and slipped from the car, easily making her way past the line waiting to get in.

"He's waiting on you by the bar," Dave told her, giving her a smile, as he let her into the club. She returned his smile and entered the dimly lit club, making her way through the place to the bar, letting Roderick's voice wash over her. Realizing once again that Rod was in his element.

She easily spotted her boyfriend, his back to her, giving her the chance to walk up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist and placing a kiss in the middle of his back.

"I must warn you that I do have a pretty kick ass girl," he smirked, turning around, leaning down to press his lips against hers. "One who looks absolutely stunning," he whistled lowly, giving her a spin.

"It's a good thing I can hold my own," she smirked. "Now do you have suspenders under that gray jacket?" She asked, looking over just how smashing he happened to look in his light gray suit.

"That is something you'll have to find out later," he winked.

"That a challenge?" She smirked, moving closer into him. He wagged his eyebrows, his smirk growing bigger. "Then get a girl a drink so the night can truly begin," she told him. "What does this place have for drinks?" She questioned.

"Anything to your heart's content," he smirked, walking behind the bar to make the drinks, as the bartenders were rather busy.

"Good to know," she smiled, finding a free spot at the bar to lean on. "I am dragging you out there," she warned him, looking over the dance floor smiling as she saw a few of her friends out there having a good time.

"I did bring my dancing shoes," he chuckled, handing her a glass as he joined her once more. "Let's see if we can find an empty table," he suggested, resting his hand on her lower back as they walked through the throng of people.

She had spent the night laughing, dancing and even signing the night away. Not a dull moment to be had. She had nearly fell asleep in Clint's office waiting on him to finish with locking and cleaning up. It had felt wrong to go home instead of going back to Clint's place. It would give her the time to sleep in a bit longer has she had made plans with Jeff late Saturday morning.

As she started to wake, she started to wish she had made her plans with Jeff to be later in the day, with the way her head was pounding. She tried to recall the amount of alcohol she had drank the night prior and into the early hours of the morning, but she couldn't. Sleep would have been nice to have more of, but between her head hurting and her stomach grumbling she couldn't fall back asleep and with the greasy food smell coming from the rest of the apartment she found she would rather want the food, what little she could eat that is.

"Morning," he smiled, spotting her rumbled figure exiting the bedroom.

"Morning," she mumbled, making her way to the bathroom.

"There in the medicine cabinet, middle shelf," he softly called after her, having a feeling with the way she looked that she needed to have a few aspirin.

"Thanks," she nodded, grabbing a cup from the kitchen cupboard to pop the pills in her mouth. "Why did you let me drink so much last night?" She asked, slipping onto a kitchen stool, slumping onto the kitchen counter.

"After you took off and danced half the night with your friends? I couldn't keep track of you to keep you from drinking more than you should," he chuckled lightly, putting a plate of greasy crispy bacon and pancakes before her.

"You did have business to attend to," she shrugged, picking at the bacon. "And I don't like ignoring my friends just because I had you there," she told him, accepting the glass of orange juice.

"I didn't mind and I don't mind if you hang with your friends," he told her, eating off her plate, at least the pancakes as he didn't like his bacon the way she did. "And that reminds me, the guys are coming over and we're gonna hang and talk," he told her.

"They doing that when I am with Jeff?" She asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "Figured we could have dinner with them tomorrow night since we haven't done so," he suggested.

"I don't mind," she smiled. "Need me to grab anything while I am out?" She asked, looking at him.

"If you wouldn't mind. I don't even know what to have," he sighed.

"I can figure it out. As long as I can have Jason's help with the cooking," she told him. She didn't know much about cooking a complete vegan meal.

"I'll make sure he helps," he nodded.

"Okay, I'm gonna take a shower and go," she told him, pushing the plate away from her. Clint nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, before she went.

* * *

"Why would you adopt him knowing that you needed to be talking it over with your best friend and roommate?" Jeff questioned, holding the door to his apartment building open, letting his sister and new-found pet in, heading over to the elevators. "Should it be mentioned that you can't even keep the mutt at your place? Or that you didn't even talk to your boyfriend? How do you expect him to be okay with keeping a dog for you?"

"He is not a mutt," she hissed, scratching behind the dog's ear, as she carried him. "He is an Australian Shepherd," she said, moving the black, brown and white dog in her arms. The little puppy is only 3 and a half months old, its old owners growing tired of the little puppy after a couple of weeks. She couldn't pass the puppy up, looking sad and lonely. She only had one problem; dogs and cats weren't permitted at her place. Jeff wouldn't house the dog for her. In fact none of her friends would. And she got why they wouldn't do it. Dogs are a huge responsibility, she didn't expect any of them to keep the dog for her. Just help her out while she convinced her building manager to let them keep the puppy there. Yeah, maybe she should have talked to her boyfriend before adopting the dog. "I don't have all the answers, Jeff, I just couldn't say no to this cute little face," she stated, scratching the puppies head.

"What are you going to do when your last chance tells you no?" Jeff asked, pressing the buttons for the two floors they needed.

"Sleep in my car with him until I can get it sorted out," she shrugged. She wouldn't leave the little guy alone.

"If it comes to that, you can stay at my place with him for the night," he caved. "But just tonight, Onyx," he warned her.

"I know, Jeff and thanks," she told him, letting him get off on his floor. "I'll be letting you know, either way," she said. Jeff nodded, as the doors slid shut. "Please be home," she said to herself, knocking on the door she needed, with her hands full of puppy and a few bags, she couldn't open the door herself and she didn't know if Clint had went out with his friends instead of staying at the apartment.

"Uh babe, what's with the dog?" He asked answering his door. Surprised to see his girlfriend with an adorable dog in her arms.

"I adopted Captain about an hour ago," she said, moving further into the room, placing the squirming puppy down once the door was shut behind her. The puppy going to Clint who crouched down to pet the dog at his feet. "I need a massive favor from you," she said, smiling nervously. He had no reason to agree to her terms on keeping the dog until she could hopefully keep him at her own place. It was easy to hide a cat in the apartment, she may have done that one a few years back. But a dog needs to be outside, and they tend to bark from time to time.

"I think I might dread this," he laughed, picking the puppy up. "What is the favor?" He asked, laughing when the puppy's tongue lapped at his face repeatedly licking every part he could reach with his little pink tongue.

"I need you to keep the dog until I can figure out a way to keep him. Animals aren't welcome at my place," she sheepishly told him.

"Then why adopt him?" Clint asked with a chuckle, scratching behind the puppies ears.

"You sound like Jeff," she frowned. "His previous owners didn't want him anymore and he looked so helpless, that I couldn't leave him," she stated, walking closer to Clint to scratch the dog's head, getting puppy kisses in the process. "Will you keep him?" She pouted.

"I don't know, Onyx," he sighed, looking between the puppy and her. "If I wanted a dog I would have went out and got one," he stated.

"I know and it is temporary," she told him. "He is house trained. He doesn't bark, that I know of. I have food, treats, a dog bed, and everything else he needs. I'll even pay the money it costs to have him stay here. Please," she begged.

"No one else will keep him for you? Not even your brother?" He checked, she shook her head.

"Jeff will only keep him for the night and I have to stay with the dog," she said. "Jeff hasn't been to keen on a dog since we kids and the family dog died, he's never had his heart set on having another one," she shrugged. "I'll pay for everything, I'll be here all the time with him, as much as I can be, anyway. Please, Clint?" She begged him again, sticking her bottom lip out to pout.

"Fine, he can stay," Clint gave in. The second she asked him, he knew he didn't stand a chance and it wasn't all because of Onyx. He could see why she had been drawn to the puppy. He wouldn't make the puppy sleep outside.

"Thank you," she smiled, hugging him tight, the puppy excited between them. In the excitement of the moment, she shared a kiss with him. "His stuff is in my car," she said, moving toward his door.

"I'll help," he said, giving his friends pointed looks. "How much stuff do you have?" He asked, ready to put his friends to work.

"Dog food, a few bags, a dog bed," she counted off. "I do think that should be it," she said, hoping it was everything. "Hey guys," she smiled, just noticing his friends sat around the living room, totally forgetting they were there in the hopes of getting Clint to agree with her.

They all shared a hello with her, amused watching how she easily got Clint to cave with the dog staying with him. They all nodded their heads ready to help bring the stuff for the dog in, seeing no point in making more than one trip.

"I take it your time with Jeff was eventful," he chuckled, looking at the stuff that his girlfriend was putting places out-of-the-way for the dog. The very same dog curled up in his lap, snoring lightly as he dozed.

"It was fun, eventful and informative," she nodded, sitting next to him, running a hand over the dog's back. "Thank you for doing this," she told him pressing a kiss to his arm.

"It's really nothing," he shrugged, petting the sleeping dog. "The little fellow grows on ya," he smiled.

"You don't gotta tell me," she giggled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Your friends didn't have to take off just because I showed up," she commented.

"Plans," he told her. "And they are on for tomorrow night and Jason will help you. He'll be here late morning to help get groceries," he informed her.

"That explains the do not buy any food text I got from your friend," she laughed.

"You have my friends numbers?" He asked in awe. He couldn't recall any of his past girlfriend's to go about and get the phone numbers that belonged to his friends.

"Of course. They do like to keep tabs on you," she nodded. "That okay with you? She questioned.

"More than fine," he nodded. "I have the numbers for your brother and best friend and a few others. They like to keep tabs on you," he shared.

"You also like keeping in touch with them, as you made friends with them," she smiled.

"I think you've done the same even after the rocky start you've had with my friends," he teased back.

"They know how good I am for you," she shared. "Just like my people know how good you are for me," she told him. That was something he easily agreed with, pressing a kiss to her head.

After taking the puppy for a walk so he could do his business, they snuggled on the couch, the puppy splayed across their laps as they settled on a movie to watch.

"You do know that you don't have to sleep on the couch," he laughed, peering at her from behind the couch.

"Who said anything about sleeping on the couch?" She asked with a yawn as she stretched, moving to stand up. "What time is it?" She asked, moving around the puppy laying on the floor wagging his tail as he played with one of the toys she bought for him.

"Late enough to decide if we want to eat or just call it a night," he told her. "What do you want?"

"After my late lunch with Jeff I'm not all that hungry," she told him. "You can eat though. I'm gonna take this one out before calling it a night," she told him.

"I'm with ya," he shared, moving behind her to join her on the dogs walk. She gave him smile, from the floor where she clipped the dog's leash on to walk him.

"What's going to happen if you can't take him home in a few days?" He questioned, as they walked. He didn't need a dog nor did he really want one at this time.

"I guess I'll have to find him a new home," she shrugged. "I really hope it doesn't come to that," she sighed, as they stopped so Captain could smell the ground. "You are certain that he is fine here until I can sort something out for him?" She asked. She didn't want him to agree to watching the dog if it wasn't something that he really wanted to be doing and only saying so because of her.

"It's fine for a few days, Onyx," he assured her, wrapping an arm around her. "I just don't want to be stuck with him for any real length of time. I'm not looking for a pet of any kind."

"I know and I didn't want you to suffer looking after the guy but I couldn't leave him," she sighed. "And I promise you won't have him long, I swear," she pleaded with him.

"Or you could just move in here with me and the dog," he suggested, pulling her closer.

"I've been thinking about that," she told him. "But I don't know if it's the right thing to do," she sighed.


	26. Chapter 26

**_Hey! I am sorry for the small wait with this chapter. As always all recognizable characters belong to Glee and I mean no disrespect. For the characters you don't recognize they belong to me and permission is needed to use them. I do use Mikki, Dylan, and Jeremy who belong to KikiJuanita and I have been given permission to use and if you do so wish to use them please do ask her._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

"That would be for you," Clint chuckled, burying himself further into the blanket, watching where he placed his feet as not to kick the puppy curled up in a ball at the foot of the bed.

"But he's your friend," she whined, making no move to roll out of bed to answer the door. "And your place," she reminded him, using her feet to push him out of the bed, not that he budged any.

"That is all very true, but he wouldn't be here if he didn't make plans with you to get groceries for tonight," he reminded her.

"Okay, fine," she huffed, tossing the blanket off and getting up to let Jason in before he started to call cell phones to get one of them up to let him in. When he told her that he would be over in the morning she hadn't thought he meant at the ass crack of dawn.

"Hold up," Clint said, getting Onyx to stop at the bedroom door. "You're gonna go out there wearing that?" He asked, giving her a glance.

"Uh, yeah?" She questioned looking at what she was wearing. "What's wrong with what I've got on?" She asked.

"Everything, considering you've got nothing on under that shirt," he commented. "You get ready for the day and I'll let Jason in," he told her getting up.

"Will do," she smiled, stopping him for a quick kiss when he passed her.

Clint smiled, shutting the bedroom door behind him as he walked to the door to let his friend in, not believing for a second that it could possibly be anyone else at such an early hour of the day.

"About time," Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "Thought I had to call," he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he stepped inside the apartment.

"Yeah, well some of us enjoy sleeping past 8 in the morning," he teased, walking to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

"The early bird gets the…"

"Are you gonna say worm?" Onyx asked, stepping out of Clint's room fully dressed and her hair pulled up into a messy bun

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "You ready so we can get out of here?" He questioned.

"Almost," she told him, rounding the kitchen counter to share a small kiss with Clint, all while Jason made a small gagging noise to tease them.

"Mark my words the day I meet your girlfriend," Clint threatened with a smirk. "Hey now," he sputtered, grabbing his coffee mug back from his girlfriend. "Thief," he muttered, taking a drink.

"A thief you love," she smirked, grabbing her bag and placing her phone into it. "I'm ready now," she smiled.

"That goes without saying," Clint smiled, setting his cup on the counter. "Don't worry, I'll take the dog for a walk," he told her.

"Didn't doubt that for a second," she told him, following Jason to the door.

"Which one? My love for you or taking care of the dog?" He asked. Her answer was a smirk shutting the door behind her.

* * *

"Do we really need all this food?" She asked, pushing the cart behind him, letting him pick out the food as she didn't know anything about making it a vegan friendly meal.

"You haven't seen nothing yet," he laughed, stopping to look over a selection of food, finding what he was looking for he tossed it into the cart.

"I might officially be scared," she teased. "So I know the rest are bringing their girlfriend and wives, but what about you?" She asked, following behind him once more.

"There is someone, but we haven't been dating long enough to have her sit through tonight," he cringed. "I don't even know if you'll survive tonight," he smirked.

"Oh come on, they can't be that bad," she retorted. "Surely they wouldn't try to run off the one person their friend loves," she puffed out, rolling her eyes.

"If they don't feel like you're good enough for him, they will," he informed her. "And they have heard everything that has went on," he said.

"Like what stuff?" She questioned, feeling her nerves start to take hold.

"Like how you were cheating on him," he informed her with an apologetic smile.

"I never cheated on him, though," she pointed out.

"We all know that, and they know that, but they'll use it against you because they don't want to see Clint suffer from being hurt again," he sighed.

"I have no intention of hurting him. I love him, more than I have loved anyone," she stated. It is the truth, she loved Hunter a great deal, but it was nothing like the deep bone crushing love she feels for Clint.

"I see it," Jason told her. "I saw it just this morning and they will too. It's hard to miss," he smiled. "Now we should have everything we need here," he informed her making his way to the front of the store where the check-outs were located.

"Do they really hate me?" She asked, walking beside him.

"They don't hate you, Onyx. They don't know you, and once they do, they'll like you," he assured her. "Look how we started off and we're friends," he smirked. "I might actually be the biggest supporter in this, I've helped enough to have the title," he laughed, getting Onyx to laugh with him.

"You really have," she smiled. "And with the way things went down between us, I would have never thought that we would be here shopping together," she teased, some truth behind her words.

"I can agree to that," he laughed, as they slowly moved forward in line.

"Now what are you going to tell me about your girlfriend?" She asked, taking a step forward.

"I am not telling you anything," he smirked, she pouted. "Now see I'm not your brother or your bestie for life nor the love of your life, so that little pout of yours isn't going to work on me," he informed her with a smug smirk.

"You're just evil," she laughed. Finding no fault in what he said to correct him.

"We are evil," he teased, placing items on the belt separating his groceries from the person in front of them. "Tell you what once I get comfortable with the idea of her meeting my friends we'll set up a double date," he told her.

"I'll take it," she told him. "Do you want me to put any money in for this food?" She asked him.

"Nah, I've got it covered," he told her. "Yes, I'm sure," he said, seeing she was about to protest.

After seeing the total cost for the food, she wanted to protest more, but he was having none of it as he gave her a look saying he had it covered and she backed off. With the groceries paid for and in the trunk of the car they headed back to Clint's.

"Can we make a stop at my place?" She questioned him. She needed an outfit she had in her room. She kept very little articles of clothing at Clint's place and nothing she wanted to wear for a dinner party. "It won't even take that long," she told him.

"I doubt that, but you need to give me directions, I don't know where you call home when you're not shacking up with Clint," he teased.

"Is this leading into a why don't you just move in together speech?" She asked with a small smirk.

"That would be a negative," he told her, turning when she told him to turn. "It isn't up to me on when and how you move forward in your relationship with Clint. From my view and being on the outskirts of your guys relationship, I don't know what's best for you guys to do, only you two know that," he explained further.

"Why can't the rest of them see that?" She questioned in relief.

"Hard to say," he shrugged, parking out front. "I'll wait here," he informed her.

"You can come up," she told him, unbuckling. He shook his head, perfectly fine waiting in the car. "Shouldn't take too long," she told him.

Going up to her apartment hadn't taken very long at all she knew where the outfit was at that she wanted to wear with other things and with Seb out she had no reason to linger any longer than necessary.

* * *

"I think I can work faster if you go shower and check on your boyfriend that you've been neglecting for the past hour or so," Jason told her.

"Right," she laughed, walking the small distance from the kitchen to living room, where she spotted her boyfriend snoozing, the puppy curled up on top of him sleeping. "Said boyfriend is having a lovely nap," she said, walking to the bathroom to have a shower and get dressed for the night, with Jason having everything under control.

By the time she finished showering and getting ready, Jason had most of the food prepared and in the fridge to cook later in the day, Clint now cleaning up some, not that there is a big mess to take care of, other than the mess in the kitchen and Jason was handling that.

"Is there even anything left to do?" She asked, making her presence known.

"Uh yeah, you need to visit with your brother, he stopped by while you were in the shower and said that he needs to talk to you in person and that it really can't wait," Clint informed her.

"He didn't say what it was about?" She asked, sitting down to put her shoes on, taking a second to give her pup some love.

"Just that it was urgent," Clint said, offering her a hand to help her off the couch. "Go check in with him, we don't want him to have a meltdown of some sort," he remarked, pressing his lips against hers for a quick kiss.

"Yeah, we can't have that," she laughed, excusing herself to go see what happened to be so urgent with Jeff that it couldn't wait a day.

On the small walk from Clint's apartment to Jeff's her mind started to wonder to the worst as she couldn't imagine anything but. The last few steps down the hall to Jeff's door were hurried. She thought about knocking on his door but tried the door first to find that it was unlocked and she entered her brother's place seeing him pacing around the living room.

"What is going on?" She questioned, shutting the door behind her, afraid to move further into his apartment.

"Why don't you have a seat," he nodded, proceeding to sit on the couch, waiting on his sister to do the same.

She slowly moved from the door to the couch, sitting on it so she could face her brother. "Seriously Jeff, what's going on? I can't say when the last time I saw you this freaked out was," she quipped out.

"That's because I heard from Dad," he said. He had a better relationship with their father than Onyx ever had with the man and it wasn't something he could fault her for. But he felt like he knew she was going to react badly to what he had to say next.

"And what did dear old dad have to say?" She asked. She wanted to have that close father/daughter relationship with him like all her friends had with their fathers, but it was hard to do when you watch him go through multiple relationships and weddings in the span of such a short time.

"Not a lot, just that he has news to tell us and he would like for us to meet him for dinner on Saturday. I made no promises, knowing that you wouldn't exactly agree to it," he told her, keeping her from going off on him.

"You enjoy that, and relay whatever he has to say," she told him, getting up.

"You're not making this any easier on anyone, Onyx. I know how big of a womanizer he happens to be, but you know as well as I know that he cares about you, that the only woman in his life that he will ever truly love is his daughter. Just give him this one day," Jeff pleaded with her.

"Jeff," she sighed, licking her lips. "How many days should I give him, to prove that he has changed? He comes into our lives saying that he's changed that his latest will be the last, but that is never the truth. We both know what he wants to say, I just wanna know how it's going to mess with our lives this time," she stated, trying her hardest not to run her hands through her hair as she didn't want to mess it up.

"I get where you're coming from, I do, but…" he sighed, trying to get his thoughts in order. This wasn't any easier on him, as the last person he ever wanted to turn out to be like was his father, but beside him using woman, he held respect for his father.

"You can stop wasting your breath, I'll be there," she told him. "I can't act childish forever," she told him, standing up.

"You're not being childish," he assured his sister. "And once I know the rest of the details, I will send you a message," he informed her, walking her to the door. "And if you feel like you need to bring Clint along for it, bring him," he said, pulling his door open.

"I don't think I am ready for my boyfriend to meet the man who is our father. I don't need his influence to rub off on Clint," she said, giving her brother a small hug. "But I do want to have dinner at some point so I can meet Courtney," she smiled.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do about that," he laughed. "Enjoy your night," he told her.

"I think I will," she smiled, stepping into the hallway. "Also, you don't have to worry about the puppy, Clint has taken quite the liking to him," she smirked. Jeff rolled his eyes laughing.

"He must really love you," Jeff said, shaking his head. Onyx's only reply was a grin, as she headed off to her boyfriend's apartment. She did everything she could do to shelf whatever her dad's news had to be to worry about another day as today she wanted to focus on the dinner.

She smiled coming to the door of the apartment that belonged to her boyfriend seeing his friend's and significant others approaching from where the elevators are located.

"Did Jason kick you out of the kitchen? He is a diva like that," Phillip laughed, giving her a hug once they were close enough.

"You know he did, but then my brother needed to talk," she laughed, pushing the door open, finding they could at least go inside the apartment instead of standing around the hallway. She had met everyone briefly at Phillip's wedding.

"Hey guys," Clint greeted. "What was so urgent with your brother?" He asked, having just got back in himself from taking Captain for a walk. Where he had stopped in and talked to the apartment manager as he was in and got the okay for the dog already having all the papers needed to prove he's had the vaccinations needed along with paying the fee, the fee he wasn't going to charge his girlfriend for because he has grown attached to the little fellow in such a short time.

"Just wanted to inform me that my dad will be in town and requesting a dinner," she told him leaving it at that. She would tell him more after they were alone.

"When did you get a puppy?" Julie asked. "The last I knew you didn't want any pets," she commented.

"I didn't," he said turning to look at his girlfriend. "She's the owner of the dog, he just gets to live here," he stated.

"Why is that?" Chloe asked, having went to see if her brother needed help with anything before taking up the empty spot next to her boyfriend.

"She can't have animals at her place," Dereck told his girlfriend, laughing at how fast Clint got attached to the dog.

"I'm surprised he got attached in one day. Yesterday he was saying he didn't want one and now he's pretty much claimed the dog as his," Vinny commented.

"The powers of a girlfriend," Chantel teased. "Though I am to believe that our very own Clint is just wrapped around the pinky finger of Onyx," she smiled.

"No, I am in love," he said, kissing the back of his girlfriend's hand.

"As I love you," she smiled, squeezing his hand.

"And you're a million miles away," Jason stated, leaning on the wall, not bothering with sitting down when he needs to be back in the kitchen in a short few minutes to check on the food. "Does your dad affect you that much?" He asked.

"He wouldn't under normal circumstances, but I already know what he has to say, and I can't wrap my head around it," she sighed. "But enough about my family drama," she said, waving it away. "That's not what tonight is about," she stated.

"Do you want to know what I find strange?" Phillip questioned. Gaining the attention of everyone. "Is how Jason managed to become so close with Onyx," he said, the guys finding it funny.

"Shouldn't they be close?" Julie questioned.

"Remember the night we hung out sans Clint?" He questioned his wife. She nodded remembering that guy night.

"You're the one that he hit on?" She asked amused by the situation.

"Yep," she nodded with a laugh. "But I like to think that we've come a long way from that first meeting," she said, looking at Jason. "Right?" She questioned, feeling nervous.

"We have," he nodded, walking backwards to the kitchen. "Does the talk at the supermarket mean nothing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow seeing the looks of confusion on everyone's face.

"You do know that I can't lie to my boyfriend and that I don't want to do that, so at some point I will have to tell him, if you don't tell them," she stated.

"But it wouldn't be a lie, it would just be a secret, a secret between friends," he smarted off.

"But I have learned the hard way, you shouldn't keep secrets from the one you love whether it be a secret between friends or not," she replied with a smirk.

"Before you two start throwing insults over your friendship, I'll let you have this secret, I am sure there is a reason behind it," Clint said breaking up what he felt would be an argument of some sort.

"I'll take it," she nodded.

"There is a reason I don't want you lot to know and you'll all find out soon enough," he sighed, checking on the food.

"I should really help him," she frowned, going to get up to help with the rest of the food even if she did need Jason to tell her how it needed to be done. "You do know that I wouldn't outright announce it, right?" She asked, standing next to him as she stirred a pot of sauce.

"I know," he confirmed. "And you can tell him after we all leave, I wouldn't mind because I don't want to be the reason you two fight," he told her.

"We won't fight over this, he already understands that you need to be the one to tell them all and it's not anything that is going to ruin your friendship with him, unless it's an ex of theirs," she said in a hushed voice.

"Not exactly," he sighed. "It's not them I am worried about, because it has nothing to do with them, moreso you," he told her, getting the food arranged on the kitchen counter so it wouldn't take up all the space at the kitchen table that is already set for everyone minus the plates as they were stacked on the counter.

"What do you mean, Jason?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, her hip resting against the counter where the sink is located at.

"Can we not?" He asked with a pleading look. "It'll all get sorted, just leave it be for now, please?" He asked her.

"Okay," she nodded. "I am going to trust you on this Jason, and don't break my trust," she warned him.

"Not going to happen because I do happen to like you," he laughed, gently nudging her. "Now isn't tonight about getting to know the ladies a bit more and not interrogate me?" He asked with a laugh.

"No, I am here to eat and drink some beer, but not a lot because I do have work in the morning," she told him.

"In that case, help yourself," he told her shaking his head. "Dinner," he called, getting the others attention. "Seriously, follow Onyx and help yourselves," he told them, grabbing a plate himself.

"Clint told us that you're a teacher, but with the voice you had at the clubs opening, why didn't you go down that path?" Chantel questions, swallowing the bite of food she had eaten.

Clint sitting next to his girlfriend, held his breath, knowing how sore of a topic it is to be discussing, and he really didn't want it to ruin the night they've got with the laughs they've already shared. He placed his hand on her leg, his thumb rubbing gentle circles through her black jeans.

"I thought about it, would have liked to try," she told them, taking a drink of her beer. "But a few things happened, things were said and I gave up singing for the longest time and found something else that I was even more passionate about," she told them, being as vague as she could be with them still understanding to an extent on why she didn't pursue a career as a singer. "I feel like I can do more good teaching than I could do anything else," she said.

"I always wanted to be a teacher when I was little," Julie said. "But then I fell in love with animals and found my true passion, so if you need a vet for your little guy, look no further," she smiled.

"It would be wrong to go to someone else," Onyx laughed. "What is it you two do?" She asked, looking between Chloe and Chantel.

"Personal trainer," Chloe said. "So you need a new workout, hit me up."

"I've been working on a children's book," Chantel shared.

"I am going to keep both in mind because I am sure at some point, someone I know is gonna have a baby," she commented. "And a new workout might be in my near future," she laughed, thinking about the weekly takeout night with Seb, they started up again.

"Care to share in that theory?" Clint asked with a laugh. "Who do you know that is gonna have a baby any time in the near future?"

"Dylan, maybe Jeremy," she shrugged. "You'll like Dylan he's more laid back than Jeremy, but still a blast to be around," she told him.

"So you won't take threaten to call the cops on him?" He questioned in a teasing tone. Onyx laughed shaking her head no.

"What are we missing? Who did you threaten to call the cops on?" Julie asked.

"Jeremy and Dylan are Sebastian's older brothers and the day he showed up not all that long ago I had threatened him with a call to Seb telling him I was calling the cops," she quickly explained. "They're like brother's and he knew I would never call the cops on him," she tacked on.

"So other than Jeff and Sebastian, does our friend need to meet and get the stamp of approval from Dylan and Jeremy as well?" Phillip questioned.

"Oh please, Jeremy is cool with it, so will Dylan. But don't sit there and act like you're not making sure that I am good enough for Clint, because I know otherwise. I also know that I have put him through shit, but we've worked it out and we couldn't be in a better place because of it all," she stated, looking around the table.

"We're only looking out for our friend, it's nothing against you," Vinny replied.

"I know and I would be wondering what's wrong with all of you if didn't look out for your friend," she responded.

"I personally believe that you are more than good enough for him, I have to question why you are settling for him for?" Jason teased.

"Who said she was settling for me?" Clint questioned, his smirk a tight one.

"Hey man, we know that isn't the case," Dereck quickly said, not wanting a fight to break out.

"Trust me, babe, you would know if I was just settling," she told him, giving his knee a quick squeeze.

* * *

With the apartment empty and the dishes placed in the dishwasher they laid in bed, curled up with the puppy laying in his puppy bed on the floor. Clint's hand slowly running up and down her arm as she relayed the conversation she had with Jeff about her father earlier in the day.

"I don't mind going with you," he told her.

"I know and as much as I would like having you there for support, I think it's something that I need to do with Jeff," she sighed. "But on the up side of things, we have a future dinner date with Jeff and Courtney," she told him.

"I've meet Courtney," he informed his girlfriend. "It wasn't a long meeting, just an elevator ride down to the lobby, as they were headed out on a date," he explained further. "You'll like her," he said, placing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"I'm not worried about that," she told him, "I just want to know if she makes him happy," she said, kissing his jaw.

"From what I can tell she does," he replied, moving his hand to run down her spine. "Now enough talk," he gushed into her ear giving it a nip.

"And a bit more action," she purred, running her nails over his chest to his back.


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey everyone. As always, any characters that are recognizable belong to Glee and the crew. As for the rest, they belong to myself and cannot be used without my permission, unless it happens to be Jeremy or Mikki as they both belong to KikiJuanita, and you need to get her permission to use them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey Jeremy, what can I do for you on this fine morning?" She questioned, placing her bag and stuff on her desk, seeing who kept trying to reach her. Leave it to Jeremy to keep calling until she finally answered. "I don't have much time to talk," she told him, pulling out everything she needed for her first-period class.

"I'll make it quick," he told her. "Tell me that you're not busy the first weekend of February," he said, waiting to hear what she had to say before telling her anymore of his news.

"I believe I have yet to make plans that far into the future," she laughed. She was still busy trying to get her Christmas plans in order, let alone what she has planned for February.

"Mark your calendar because you now have plans," he told her. "I've been asked to take over a role on Broadway, and no, I am not telling you anything about it," he laughed. "I'll be sending you more information when the time comes. Just be ready to hit up the big Apple," he told her.

"Jer, you can't do that to me," she sighed, sitting down in her chair, watching students start to trickle into the classroom. "You need to be giving me more," she whined into the phone.

"Nope, not gonna happen. Just check with your boyfriend and let me know if he'll be able to make it," he told her.

"Oh I am sure he'll find a way to make it. His sister lives there and he'll go so he can see them," she responded. "Have you told your brother?" She questioned, seeing Seb at the front of his classroom writing something or another on the marker board.

"He knows the same amount that you know," he informed her.

"You're impossible," she laughed hiding her groan.

"And I have no plans on changing," he laughed, hearing the bell ring. "My cue. Bye Onyx," he said. Onyx telling him bye as well, hanging her phone up, seeing the new student teacher enter the classroom, sitting his stuff on the extra desk placed in the classroom the night prior by the custodians.

After taking attendance, and listening to the morning announcements, she got the attention of her class. "Mr. Puckerman is with us the remaining time of this term. Starting next week he is going to be taking over teaching. He will have his own guidelines and rules for you all to follow," she informed her class. She had met Jake Puckerman the day before when she was informed that she would be getting a student teacher.

"Morning," he smiled, greeting the class. He had been assigned to a different history teacher, but a family emergency came up and without knowing how long he's be out for, they thought it best to have him in a different classroom instead of writing with a substitute.

"No, that doesn't mean you get to stop working on your countries. Laptops are available if you need them, do get started on them as they are still due next Wednesday," she told the class, walking to where Jake was standing at his desk. Ready to answer any questions that he may have. Along with going over how she does stuff and the syllabus for the remaining time of the term.

* * *

A smile lit her face up entering her boyfriend's apartment which she not only had a key for but stayed there with him half of the week, after all her dog did live there. One of the perks of living so close to her brother is that when she needed something, she didn't have to walk the few blocks to her apartment, not when the article of clothing she needed was hanging up in her boyfriend's closet on her side.

It had taken a few weeks after Clint suggested she move in with him, for her to settle on staying with him for a few days out of the week; she wanted to make sure that living with Clint is the right thing to do for the both of them.

"Hey, I thought you were having dinner with Jeff and your dad?" Clint questioned, shutting the fridge door, to see his girlfriend taking her shoes off by the door adding to the pile of her shoes taking up residence there.

"Oh I am," she told him, turning to look at him. "I just have to change real quick and what I want to wear is here," she told him, moving further into the apartment seeing three strangers and one face she knew looking at her. "Uh hi," she greeted, walking through the living room. "I'll just be a minute, and I will be out of here, letting you get back to this, whatever it is," she said, walking past the one person she knew, sharing a look with him. She didn't remember Clint telling her that he had company coming over. She strictly remembers him telling her he would be playing video games for the night.

It didn't take her long to find and change into her white skinny jeans and red loose casual short-sleeve shirt. Her only problem finding the boots she wanted. They weren't by the door or even at her place with Seb, which meant they needed to be there.

"Finding everything?" Clint asked, entering the room.

"No, have you seen my buckle slouch wedge knee-high boots?" She questioned, getting a blank look from her boyfriend. "The ones I wore last week," she clarified for him.

"Did you ever get them from the living room?" He asked, thinking back to last week. The only boots he remembers is the ones tossed over the couch while things got heated between them while watching a movie.

"It's worth a look," she sighed, walking into the living room, remembering he had company over. "Can you look; I really don't want to get my pants dirty," she pouted looking at him.

"Of course," he sighed, going to look under the couch, getting the older guys sitting there to move out of his way while doing so.

"Have him wrapped around your finger huh?" She turned to the chuckle, giving him a shrug. "Have you been staying out of trouble? No more trips to jail?" He asked.

"Why would I go back to that dump when the sole reason of going there up and left for New York?" She questioned, getting a laugh from him. "Though it is good to see you finally manned up and made that move," she commented.

"Onyx, if you wanted to hang out you didn't have to get arrested for that," he laughed, taking his wife's hand. "It's been the best move I have done," he smiled.

"We did hang out at my brother's bar, remember?" She questioned him. "It is good to see that you are happy, dude."

"Should we be worried that our son's girlfriend has been arrested multiple times?" It dawned on her then, knowing this is his family and if anything they came over unexpected at least for him as for Rachel and Puck, they needed to be told ahead of time.

"It's not like that," Clint said, pushing himself off the floor, Captain right on his heels wanting to play. "I don't know where your boots are. You sure you didn't take them back to your place with Seb?" He asked her.

"No," she shook her head. "I looked all over for them there; they have to be here," she told him with a sigh. "I'll wear different ones," she gave in, knowing she couldn't take any longer before she would be late for dinner with her brother and dad.

"Puck, it was really good seeing you," she told him, walking through the living room to the front door. "And it's been years since I have been arrested. I have changed my ways. I need to be a role model for my kids every year," she told his parents, now knowing who they were.

"You did become a teacher," Puck commented. She smiled giving him a nod, sitting at the table to slip a pair of black suede ankle boots on.

"I did and I love it," she said, getting up. "Want me to come back tonight or go back to my place?" She asked, letting him walk her out.

"I am fine with both," he told her. "I won't be complaining if you come back," he smirked, pulling her in for a kiss. A kiss they couldn't get carried away with because her phone started to go off.

"That will be Jeff," she said, pulling the device from her pocket. "I am on my way," she told her brother, walking away from her boyfriend and his family.

The walk from one apartment to another didn't take her long, not when they were so close to begin with. She didn't even bother knocking on the door knowing Jeff left it unlocked for her, knowing that she would be coming as he made sure various times over the last week if she was going to be showing up, or if she had changed her mind. As much as she would have liked to back out with meeting up with her dad, she couldn't do that. She may not agree to his way of doing things, mainly in his personal life; she did simply miss her father.

"Can we go now?" Jeff asked, walking from his bedroom to the living room, checking his pockets.

"At this point you're the one holding us up," she remarked, pulling the door behind her open.

"Only because I had to call you," he retorted, allowing his sister to step through the door first, stopping to lock his door.

"Which you didn't have to do as I was on my way. One simply can't rush meeting the parents for the first time," she told him, the playfulness in her voice dropping away.

"That's huge," Jeff stated, pressing the call button for the elevator. "And the night you have to bail, maybe that works in your favor," Jeff joked, nudging her.

"Only because Dad kept postponing this little dinner," she sighed, stepping into the elevator.

"I have no excuses for that," Jeff said, pushing the button for the main floor.

"You shouldn't any ways, Jeff. He is still our father," Onyx stated.

"I am not covering for him, but I am always going to be there for you, worry about you, make sure everything is good, make sure your boyfriend is the one," he smirked, pulling her into a side hug as the doors pinged open.

"Yeah, you can drop the overprotective brother act," she laughed. "You didn't exactly care when you were a teenager," she retorted, opening the door to walk outside. "Are we just walking the block and a half to the restaurant?" She questioned.

"Beats driving and spending far too long by looking for a parking spot," he said. "I was a stupid teenage boy, not wanting to be seen with my little sister," he shrugged. "That's more on me than it was ever to do with you," he told her in the way of an apology.

"Yeah, that was no secret dear brother of mine," she teased. "Besides you were there when it counted," she assured him.

"Except for when I let you become best friends with Sebastian," he laughed.

"I can't even fault you there," she responded. "You did me a favor; I can't imagine my life without Seb in it," she shared.

"You'd still be here because I would still be standing behind you giving you the shoves you would have needed to make this your best life," he shared, pulling her in for a side hug as they approached the restaurant.

"Thanks," she smiled. "Hey, Mike, what are you doing here?" She asked, seeing a fellow teacher and a guy, she had easily become friends with because her of best friend and his girlfriend.

"Dinner with my mom," he shared, greeting Onyx with a hug. "Having a sibling night?" He questioned, nodding at Jeff.

"Not exactly," she sighed. "We're here to meet our Dad," she told him. "Have a good night, Mike," she told him, walking to the door.

"You guys as well," he told them, turning back to wait on his mom to show as the siblings headed inside spotting their father waiting on them.

"There they are," their father smiled, pulling Onyx in for a hug, turning to share a hug with Jeff.

"Hey Dad," she smiled, hugging the older man back tightly, having missed her father far more greatly than she thought she had missed him.

"We need to have a little chat before we eat," he told them. Onyx and Jeff shared looks with each other as their dad went and talked to the hostess.

They had known that their dad had to tell them something, and they could figure out what that is on their own as his last divorce happened a little over a year ago. What they hadn't heard was that he was seeing anyone, but that didn't surprise them any.

They followed behind their father and the hostess as they were led to the back of the restaurant to a private room, wine already chilling. Instead of there being three plates set around the table, there were five.

"What's going on dad?" Jeff asked, taking a spot at the table, next to his sister, seeing that she was leaving it up to him to start this conversation with their father.

"I love you two more than anything in this world. It might have been the smartest decision I ever made with your mother to have you, Onyx in a way to fix our broken marriage because I cheated on her. I regret many things but having you, Onyx and you, Jeff, are two of the best things I have ever done in my life," he went on to say.

"We love you too, dad," Onyx told him, not needing to hear about how they thought having a second child would fix the cracks in their marriage. It was a flawed idea to begin with.

She was starting to feel like this wasn't about him getting remarried but maybe something more serious was going on with him, and that thought alone scared her. She may not have the best relationship with her father, but she did want to try, and she didn't want to run out of time before making it possible.

"I have made mistakes, ones that I am not proud of," he was in the process of saying when the door opened and Mike, and his mom entered the private room joining them.

The three of them watched as their parents shared a hug and a very intimate kiss, prompting them to share looks with each other.

"How does your past mistakes have anything to do with Mike and his mom?" Onyx asked, wanting her confusion over the situation to be cleared up.

"I didn't know you knew each other," their father said.

"Other than I work with him; he is best friends with Seb's girlfriend," Onyx quickly retorted. "What's going on?" She asked feeling like it was more than them getting together or them getting married.

"I was starting to wonder the same thing," Mike spoke up, taking a seat between his mother and Onyx.

"When I cheated on your mother, it resulted in Mike, who takes after his mother in every way possible," he explained, to well all three of his children, stating the reason to Mike and his mom being there.

"So Mike is our half-brother?" Jeff asked. Onyx staying quiet trying to process what her father said.

"Yes."

"I don't believe this," Mike stated, thinking back to his own childhood. Back to when his parents fought and when his dad walked out leaving them behind. How it had this effect on them, and they had to move, which led him to have met Mikki and being really good friends with her.

"Ask your mom, Mike." That was the best answer he could give to Mike, who looked at his mom who sat in her seat nodding her head, taking her son's hand. "We thought it best to tell you three together, that way no one found out and started this uproar. And after seeing that you three know each other, I am pleased that we waited to do this."

Onyx shook her head, standing from her seat. She looked at her brother and now half-brother, in this messed up situation. "I can't be here right now. It is nothing against you Mike, and I will still see you tomorrow night for couples and best friends' game night, right?" She questioned. It is something that they created not having all this time to bond with their best friends, spending their time with their significant other. Mikki and Seb were one team, and she teamed up with Mike.

"Yep, us best friends need to stick together and show them how much they suck without us," he joked. She gave him a weak smile and headed to the door, needing to be elsewhere.

The disadvantage of half living in the same apartment complex as her brother, along with walking back, he knew where she is headed and would show up in a matter of seconds to check on her.

"Onyx," Jeff said, quickly catching up to his sister on the street, getting her to stop and move out of the way.

"I am not having dinner with that man," she told her brother. "I can't do it, and I won't do it."

"You can't be mad at him for something he did decades ago," Jeff sighed, glancing around quickly to make sure no one followed him out.

"I am not even mad at him for cheating on Mom, like he said I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"That's not true and you know it Onyx," Jeff interrupted her.

"I can't be mad at him for cheating on Mom, that was before I was born, however, I can be mad at him for keeping such a secret. Do you know hard it is going to be when I meet up with Mikki, Mike and Seb tomorrow? My best friend's girlfriends best friend is now my half-brother. Do you know how crazy and bizarre that sounds?" She questioned Jeff.

"I didn't think of it that way," Jeff told her with a sigh.

"I am sorry, but I can't do it, Jeff."

"Hey now it's okay, really," he comforted his sister. "I'll tell him you need time and space, which I can see that you do need it."

"Thank you," she told her brother. He nodded turning to leave, looking back at his sister.

"You need anything you know my door is always open for you," he assured her.

"I know, Jeff," she smiled, heading in the direction of her boyfriend's place. For the rest of the night, she wanted to forget everything she was just told and deal with it all at a later date in time.

"You're back early," Clint said, seeing his girlfriend come back, hanging the phone up from placing a food order. "Dinner over already?" He questioned, looking at the clock with a frown seeing she had been gone a total of 45 minutes. Seeing the look on her face, he could easily tell dinner didn't go as planned and something bad happened.

"Yep," she answered, going straight to him, needing to feel safe wrapped up in his arms. "I just needed a hug," she whispered. "I will let you guys get on with your night," she said, pulling away from Clint, ready to spend her night in his bed.

"Nonsense, we want to meet the woman whom our son finds so intriguing."

"I can do that," she said softly. "Sorry about crashing this little family reunion," she apologized. "Family drama is never fun," she said in a way of an explanation.

"Nonsense," Clint waved it away. "We all go through some sort of family drama," he said, leading her back to where he was sitting in the chair, pulling her down with him. He wasn't worried about what she was dealing with because once they were alone she would tell him everything that happened.

"Ya know it would be nice if you at least introduce your family," she commented. "The only one I really know is Puck, Rachel too from when she came back to the school before getting the role of Fanny and with all the pining Puck did, I feel as if I personally know her," she teased, smirking at Puck.

"Just how close did you and my husband get?" Rachel questioned with a soft laugh.

"As personal as one can get while behind bars, and he is the officer in charge. Though I really got to know him when he would come into my brother's bar after work. And he would pour his heart out over a few bottles of beer. I was the one stuck serving him cause the guys couldn't deal," she revealed shaking her head, getting dirty looks from Puck. "Happy you finally took that advice I kept telling you, dude," she laughed.

"What advice?" Rachel questioned, looking at her husband.

"To man the eff up and go get what my heart truly desires," he stated. "Some of the best advice I've received," he chuckled lightly.

"Alright you already know Puck, and Rachel. These are Hiram and Leroy, fathers in every way that counts." She nodded, knowing of the past with his birth parents, and that he went and lived with the Berry's when he turned 15. "This is my lovely girlfriend, Onyx," he finished off the introductions.

"How did you two meet?" He asked the one question everyone in the room wanted to know.

"That my old friend is a bit of a long story," she told him with a sigh. A story that still hurt to think of.

"We've got all night," Rachel stated.

"Right," Onyx sighed, not looking forward to reliving that night. "It happened at my brother's bar. He sat at the bar nursing his beer, sulking over something, when I stormed into the place needing Jeff, my brother," she clarified. "And why he even wanted to talk to me after hearing about my bad night, I have no idea," she said, looking up at him.

"You were stunning and we were both having bad nights; we could either wallow in self-pity or change our luck," he simply stated. Onyx smiled kissing his cheek softly.

"It was my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend at that time. I waited for an hour for him to show up to the dinner reservations he made and when he no showed; I went to his office and found him banging his now ex-girlfriend; I don't even think she works at the office now that I think about it."

"It took sometime to actually get her to talk, and not want to kill all the male species on earth," Clint laughed. "Things were easy between us that night, until her ex showed up, spewing some BS about her cheating on him."

"I found it stupid as I had just met your son. Nevertheless, I lied and said I knew him from high school," she laughed, sharing a look with her boyfriend. Remembering the not so fib, he started coming to her defense.

"Turns out that lie was actually the truth. We found that out after she tossed her drink in his face."

"You two went to the same school?" Hiram asked.

"For two years anyway," Clint explained. "The first year I had transferred so I had been shy and hid in the background and the second year, I came a bit more out of my shell, but," he said, letting her take it from there.

"That is when I couldn't compete in show choir as I had a broken bone from when I crashed a friend's motorcycle because I wanted to learn to drive it."

"Wait, you didn't tell me you were driving Jesse's bike when it crashed." It was a tiny lie from when he didn't know her, it should have been something that shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did.

"Actually, I never said what happened that day, just that I broke my leg in three places on Jesse St. James' bike," she pointed out. "I didn't explain anything beyond that point because Seb came home."

"Right," he sighed, dropping his forehead to her shoulder remembering that he didn't get the chance to ask questions about it because Seb came home and took over his duty as best friend.

"From that night, we remained in contact as friends. Your son didn't give up on me like I wanted him to do, because I really didn't think, I was worth his trouble. He, however, proved me wrong," she smiled, catching his eye.

"It was the case where I needed to be right," he teased. "You needed to know that nothing you went through was your fault, and you were worth the wait, Onyx. I would do it again," he assured her.

"I know you would, but you don't have to do that ever again. I am here and I really don't plan on going anywhere. The fact half my belongs are here is proof of that." Other than Seb and her brother, she never lived with a guy before. Clint is the one and only boyfriend she lived with. It had been nothing against Hunter; it was that she didn't feel comfortable enough in living with him even though she did love him. The love she held for him did not outweigh the fear she held for the way things ended with her parents. Hunter did very little to ease her fear on the topic, Clint, however, put her at ease greatly when they fight about her moving in with him.

"I am waiting for the rest of your belongs to end up here," he told her seriously, a sadness to his voice on how slow she had been moving forward in their relationship. He pressed a small quick innocent kiss to her lips. "I am patient, especially on this, Onyx. I know where your fear of commitment comes from, and I will not push you further than what you are ready for," he promised her.

"I love you, do you know that?" She questioned, cupping his face, her thumb stroking the skin under his left eye.

"Only if you know that I love you," he smiled softly at his girlfriend.

"We hate to ruin this moment," Leroy said, clearing his throat. "There is no doubt in our minds on how much you two love each other, but we need to talk to Clint and Rachel, so if you wouldn't mind," he finished, looking between Onyx and Puck.

"Not at all," she smiled, slipping from her boyfriend's lap. "Come on Puck," she said, walking to the bedroom. Puck shutting the door behind him to keep the conversation in the living room private. "Do you know what that is about?" She asked, sitting on the bed, motioning for him to do the same.

"Not entirely. Rachel will tell me, that I don't doubt. Much like Clint will tell you about it," he assured her. "Now tell me how being a teacher is for you," he suggested, easily changing the topic.

"I love it," she smiled. "I just hate the summer months," she laughed. Finding how ironic that is. Being a kid you counted down the days until you were done with the school year, spending three months of summer vacation doing anything you wanted that didn't involve learning and now those three months of summer seemed like torture to her when all she wanted to be doing is teaching her students.

"Don't tell me you hate summer break," he laughed.

"No," she smiled. "I like it and I do look forward to it. Even so, there is nothing better than standing up there molding the future generations," she shrugged in response, not really able to explain better than that to him.

"I get it; I do," he nodded. "Onyx, you gave me advice once or a dozen times before I listened to what you were saying. With my dad bailing on me the way he did, I get it. I understand this underlying fear of the person you love the most wanting nothing to do with you and to get up one day to find they left you; it's a horrifying thought to have," he stated, turning to fully look at her. "But is it worth living with one foot out the door at all times?" He questioned her. She shook her head no. "Then why do it?"

"To protect myself. To leave before they get a chance to hurt me," she easily rattled off.

"Do you really think Clint, the guy that stood by you when he didn't even know you, would do that? In the last six months, how many times has he left you hanging? How many times has he been there for you when you wanted no one? How many times has he walked away from you? How much does he need to do to prove to you that he loves you more than words can allow? And finally Onyx, how many times are you going to hurt him, by being half out of this relationship with him? You have to be all in for it to work out, Onyx," he stated. The truth of what he is saying hitting pretty close.

"I didn't realize I was hurting him so much. He never says," she sighed, looking down at her hands ashamed of herself for her actions. "I guess it can be scary for everyone to take the next step with someone."

"It is, it really is Onyx. But don't rush out and fix it this second, that won't help you in the long run. Only you know how fast to move forward, and if you're ready for it," he told her.

She nodded, knowing exactly what she needed to do. She couldn't let her fear hold her back any longer. She couldn't use Seb and the place she called home with him as the security blanket she clearly has been doing, and it wasn't just with her relationship with Clint, but she did the same thing with Hunter.

"So I get the pleasure of working with your brother. I didn't know he wanted to be a teacher," she said.

"He had decided to go back to school for it, getting bored with just about everything," Puck laughed. "I talked this place up so much he moved here for school and everything, claims he found the love of his life," he told her with a shake of his head.

"Do you not believe him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This will be number 3 or 4 that have been the one," he replied amused. "So time will tell," he shrugged.

Once the four in the living room were done talking, and the food arrived and spread out around the table, they sat talking and sharing a few laughs. Onyx did all she could to get everything she could learn about her boyfriend.

It wasn't much longer after dinner finished that Clint and Onyx were left alone, the pair calling it a night, once everything was cleaned up. She laid with her head on his chest, her pointer finger tracing a figure eight on his stomach.

"They're working on things, then?" She asked, the quietness between them getting to her. He told her what had been discussed while she had her own conversation with Puck. Turns out the divorce that led him to her brother's bar had been put on hold as they wanted to work things out one last time, and they wanted to tell their kids together. Because whatever happened between them, they wanted to remain on good terms for their kids.

"Yep," he sighed, pulling her closer, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the scent that is her. "I thought I would be happy about them trying to work things out, but," he sighed, growing quiet to put his thoughts in order.

"I know it sucks," she easily said. "Your parents getting a divorce at any age is never easy, but they still love you," she stated. "And you were ready for them to be divorced, and they changed things up on you; it's hard to process."

He nodded, having nothing else to say about the topic. He came to terms with his parents impending divorce a year ago. He was ready for them to no longer be a couple, ready for the day they said their divorce was finalized. He hoped that they would be able to work things out and now that they were he didn't know how he wanted to feel about that. He was happy, because they're his parents, but he didn't want them to be at odds with each other all over again.

"Are you going to let things with Mike get awkward?" He questioned, running fingers over her spine.

"No, it changes very little. Yeah, he is my brother, but I am not going to stop being friends with him. I do like the guy," she responded. Much like he told her what was said, she had told him about why she cut out of dinner early. "I'm going to explain to Mike tomorrow before game night that it has nothing to do with him." None of her feelings on the matter were directed at Mike; she liked getting to know him as a friend.


	28. Chapter 28

**_I know; I know, and I am so very sorry for the wait with this chapter. But, I couldn't get it to work in my favor for the longest time. There is a part in this chapter that does refer to the first chapter of the prequel for this story, which I haven't even finished writing yet, just know that it is in the works._**

 ** _Jeremy, Dylan, Mikki and Courtney belong to KikiJuanita and cannot be used without her permission. You do need my permission to use Onyx, as she is mine. The others belong to Glee._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

"I am sorry you had to go through that," Seb sighed, pulling his best friend into a hug, the second she finished telling him about her night, at least the part to do with her father and Mike. "Will things be awkward when he shows up today?" He asked, not wanting there to be this weird air between them. He didn't know what he could do to make it better either, because he wasn't about to tell his girlfriend that her best friend wasn't allowed anymore, but at the same time he didn't want things to be awkward, so the alternative would be for them to cancel tonight and start it again when things weren't so weird.

"No, things with Mike are good," she stated, breaking the hug. "He's one of the few people who can relate to what I'm going through, and I can't blame him and I don't blame him. Mike's a cool dude and we have clicked from the start; I promise it won't be awkward," she told him, moving to her room, smiling seeing the empty boxes waiting for her. "Thank you," she said, feeling Seb behind her. He knew her too damn good.

"When you went to your boyfriend over your best friend with the drama last night, I figured you would be needing them," he shrugged. "Didn't think it would today, honestly," he told her leaning against the door jamb.

"You're not bitter about me going to him and not you, are ya?" She asked, placing a bunch of clothes from her closet into a box, avoiding looking at him.

"No," He nearly screeched. "I'm happy that you found someone to go to like that. Someone who clearly loves you, and you clearly love. This is good for you, Onyx; it really is," he stated, moving to help her pack up the rest of her belongings. "As your best friend, this is all I can ask for, is for you to find the guy that makes you happy, that makes you whole, and I honestly think you have found that."

"You are the best friend a girl could ask for," she smiled, giving him a nudge. "Though I think you just want me out of here so you can make the move with Mikki official," she teased.

"We did find the perfect place for the both us," he nodded. For the past few months, they had been staying at one place or the other, neither one of them really moving out of their place, but rather living at both, their belongings divided up between the two apartments. As he didn't want to leave his best friend by herself, and he had a feeling that one day sooner rather than later, she would be making the move herself.

"Then all we gotta do is pack," she sighed. "How exactly are we going to divide up the kitchen and the living room?" She asked. "I personally don't need any of it, as I don't have the room at Clint's place," she told him.

"We've got what two different sets of dishes?" He questioned, getting a nod from Onyx. "We each take a set; you've got your mugs. Then we ask our friends," Seb quickly worked out.

"Under the condition, they come get the stuff tomorrow as I want to have one more game night here and have one last night with my best friend," she told him.

"I can make that happen," Seb smiled, walking to his room to start packing his things up.

 **Hey baby, when you get a free minute, swing by and pick some things up for me, please? Xoxo**

 _I'll be free in a few hours. See you then. Love you, baby._

 **Love you.**

Knowing that her boyfriend would be around in a few hours, she found it hard not to throw her clothes right into the boxes, wrinkles be damned. However, despite her hurry, she took the time to fold her clothes and placed a few in garment bags. She didn't want them to get filled with wrinkles as she wouldn't be able to unpack them until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

"Your lover is here," Seb laughed, walking past her room.

"You're not Ryan Reynolds," she sighed, a smirk staying on her face, as she walked up to her boyfriend.

"Nice to know your standards there," he laughed, reaching out for his girlfriend. "What did you need me for?" He asked, leaning down to kiss her, the kiss growing by each passing second.

"You're above and beyond my standards," she smiled, breaking the kiss. "Those boxes go with you, and I'll unpack them tomorrow," she informed him, leaving a small bag for tomorrow.

"Um did I miss something?" He asked, failing to hold back his grin, a happy feeling exploding throughout him.

"You missed nothing and by that grin, you totally understand what's going on," she laughed. "That okay with you?"

"I'm more than okay with you moving in with me fully," he smirked. Ever since he came to see that more than half of her stuff was starting to pile up at his place he wanted all of her stuff to follow. Her dog moved in; it made sense, she join them, and they be a little happy family. "But why tomorrow?"

"Oh, I'm having one last night with Seb after Mike and Mikki leave," she explained. "Also do you know anyone that needs any furniture?" She asked, looking to the living room.

"Can't say I do," he told her. "I can ask around though," he let her know. "Anything else I can help with?"

"Honestly?" She asked looking around. "I've got a few things in the bathroom, but I'll get them tomorrow before leaving, otherwise it's just packing up a few dishes." Taking a quick look in the kitchen, she saw that Seb had already packed up what he wanted, leaving the rest for her to decide on what she wanted.

"Let's get to it," her told her. "Boxes? Newspaper?" He asked.

"Bedroom," she instructioned him, as what little bit of boxes they needed would be found there as the newspaper was sitting on the counter.

"Maybe you should come show me," he smirked, winking at her.

"Yeah, I can't wait for tomorrow," Seb remarked, grabbing his car keys. "I won't have to walk in on that anymore," he laughed.

"The feeling is mutual," Onyx remarked. "Where are you off to?" She asked.

"I'm meeting Mikki downstairs, and we're going to grab some food and snacks. Mike and Tina will be here in about a half-hour to forty-five minutes," he told his friend seeing the look of annoyance. "Play nice," Seb warned her.

"You know I will," she smiled sweetly. "Is she staying for game night? Because if so, then Clint is staying," she told her friend.

"I don't know if she is staying or not," Seb sighed. "I know it's not ideal, but would it hurt to have the one person you love deeply and your newfound brother's wife, who is your now sister-in-law stay and enjoy the night with us?" He assured with a smirk, twirling his keys on his finger.

"I might like her if she wouldn't be so judgmental about us being friends," she pointed out, giving a dramatic eye roll.

"Onyx, we've been judged a thousand times over on how we can't be friends, and everything to go along with it, the only thing that matters is that we know the truth, and you know Mikki and Clint knows the truth," Seb told her.

"I know; it's just," she sighed, Seb cutting her off.

"It's just nothing; everyone deserves to have more than one chance; she might surprise you," he told her.

"There's a handful of people that don't deserve to have one chance let alone multiple ones," she smirked. "I'm sure that's Mikki blowing your phone up, so go," she laughed shooing him out the door.

"Tina can't ruin your night if you don't let her," Clint told her, pulling her in for a hug, tightly wrapping her up in his embrace. A hug she was quick to respond to holding onto him as tight as she could, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

"I know, but I always team up with Mike, and I don't want her to change that," she told him. To her tonight meant a lot more than friends teaming up with each other, tonight it would be brother and sister teaming up, something she needed after learning the truth the night prior.

"If she decides to stay, I will team up with her," Clint stated, feeling that he knew why tonight teaming with Mike meant so much to her.

"You'd do that for me?" She asked, pulling away from him enough to lock eye contact with him.

"Duh, I love you," he laughed. "There's not much I wouldn't do," he let her know.

"The feeling is mutual, the love part, not the doing anything for you," she teased, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"That my dear is a big fat lie," he laughed, tickling her sides. Onyx laughing and struggling against him. Too busy trying to fight him off and laughing too hard to tell him to stop.

"If I had to take a guess I'd say that's your half brother," he smirked, kissing her forehead, moving to answer the phone and let whoever wanted in the building, in so they could come up. "Remember to play nice with Tina," he warned.

"Yes, sir," she saluted, getting a cold cup of water to drink while she waited for the arrival of Mike and maybe Tina. For whatever reason the knock on the door made her jump. "Mind getting that, I think I'm going to be sick," she told him, making a dash for the bathroom where she splashed some water on her face, not even caring about her makeup getting messed up. The voices didn't quell her nerves. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the guests waiting on her.

"Seb texted, said they'll be about another 20 minutes," Mike informed her, the first to see her join them. "Can we talk?" He asked.

"I'll finish getting things sorted," Clint told her.

"Thanks babe," she smiled at him. "Follow me," she told him, walking to her bedroom. "What's going on?" She asked, shutting the door once he entered the room.

"This, us," he told her, motioning between the two of them. "I hate that with the truth last night coming out that things between us are all awkward," he sighed. "I don't want things between us to be awkward or weird, but I don't know how to make sure they're not like that," he shrugged, dropping to her bed.

"I don't know either," she told him softly. "I know it changes so much between us, and I don't want that. We can't remain friends and just ignore that we're related, not that it's something I would want to do. We're family; you're my brother and that means a lot to me, but I don't know how to move forward without it feeling forced or awkward because your best friend is dating my best friend. I keep thinking about if only I had known sooner…" she trailed off, sitting next to him.

"Same here," he told her. "I know we won't ever be as close as you are with Seb or your brother or as close as I am with Mikki, but maybe we can get there at some point in the future," he shared.

"I'd like that," she smiled. "Because I am so close to Seb, I did tell him about us being related, Clint as well," she told him. "I don't want to hide this from anyone," she stated.

"I did tell Tina because I can't keep this from her, but I haven't been able to tell Mikki any of it, and it's been driving me all sorts of crazy not having her to talk to about this," he sighed.

"I know what you mean, Seb has known me for what seems like forever and without saying anything he can calm me down instantly with a look, and it's not fair," she laughed. "Jeff feels the same way we do about this so it's hard to talk to him but Clint and Seb as much, they want to understand it all; they can't understand; they do try to keep a very open mind about it so it's easy to talk to them about it," she finished saying.

"That's how things with Mikki are as well," Mike nodded. "Do you think Jeff would be okay if I found a time to talk to him and make things not quite as weird with him?" Mike asked.

"Of course," Onyx told him. "Remind me before you go to give you his number. I haven't even talked to him. Tried but it's like radio silence from him," she shrugged.

"I don't want to be the one to put you two on the outs," Mike told her feeling horrible about it even if it wasn't his fault.

"Not your doing," she said. "After everything, we've been through growing up, this is the last thing that will divide us. He does things his way," she assured him. If anyone were to screw up her relationship with her brother, it would be her, but they were close, and sometimes he needed his space after making sure she's going to be okay.

"Don't we all?" He asked with a sigh. "We should probably get back out there," he commented.

"Everything okay?" Clint asked, pulling his girlfriend in for a hug.

"With Mike?" She asked, seeing him nod. "It is. Obviously, it's not something I can process in 24 hours, but we want things to work out and not be in this weird limbo," she told him with a smile.

"Let me know what I can do," he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Thanks for everything, for being here," she told him, pulling away to look at him with a smile on her face.

"Anytime," he smiled. "You're welcome," he whispered closing the gap to kiss her. One they easily got lost in.

"Brother in the room," Mike laughed, making Clint and Onyx break the kiss. Onyx dropping her head to her boyfriend's chest as, he chuckled, rubbing small circles on her back.

"Whose brother is in the room?" Mikki asked entering the apartment ahead of Seb.

"I didn't tell her, I wanted to, but I also figured it wasn't my place to do so," Seb explained, looking between his best friend and his girlfriend's best friend.

"What am I missing?" Mikki questioned, placing the bags she had on the counter.

"How about we get settled in and dished up, and we can fill you in," Mike suggested.

"Yes please," Onyx agreed, moving to get some of the food out so everyone could dig in. Not only would getting the food out and everyone helping themselves give her time to collect her thoughts but explain it to Mikki in a way that wouldn't totally throw her off.

"Okay we're all seated," Mikki commented, looking around the kitchen table. "We all have food and a drink," she motioned to the plates and bottles. "Somebody explain what Mike's comment ment," she stated, her patience growing thin over news that no one thought she should know, especially if the looks around the room were shared between everyone, leaving her being the only one who is lost on all fronts to what is going on.

"First off, it's not the type of news you tell your best friend over the phone," Mike started to say. "It's also the type of news one needs to digest for a good few long extended hours," he told her.

"Okay," Mikki said slowly, "I will keep that in mind if someone were so nice to fill in the big blank spaces since all of you know except for me," she said, looking around the table and her focus landing on her best friend.

"First off, remember how I had dinner plans with my mom?" Mike asked her. Mikki nodded, remembering very clearly how Mike was to have dinner with his mom while Tina was annoyed, she couldn't go along.

"I don't know if Seb told you or not, but I had dinner plans with me dad and Jeff to meet the woman he loves," Onyx said taking the conversation over for a minute.

"He might have mentioned it, got worried when Jeff called to say something happened, but didn't say what," Mikki said. "But how does that go along with what Mike is saying? Do you guys have dinner at the same place, or something?"

"Or something," Onyx commented, seeking her boyfriend's touch to keep her calm and collected.

"Remember when I moved to town with my mom?" Mike asked, before Mikki asked any more questions.

"Duh, you guys moved to town because your dad split," Mikki said, refraining from rolling her eyes.

"Yeah not my dad," Mike told her. "Found out last night that my dad happens to be…" He trailed off looking at Onyx, seeing if she wanted to take over.

"Happens to be my dad, his mom being the long-lost love to the man," Onyx took over.

"Oh wow, yeah," Mikki nodded, taking the news in. "I get it," she said. "The needing time to process it," she clarified.

"Crazy, right?" Seb questioned. "Our best friends being siblings," he laughed, still not over how bizarre the situation is.

"I don't know if I would say it's crazy," Tina muttered under her breath loud enough for the table to hear.

"Then what would you call it?" Onyx asked, trying to keep her anger under control. After the first initial meeting with Tina, she found it hard to get along with the other woman, not when she was so sure that something had to have gone on between her and Seb growing up.

"I am happy that Mike gets a sibling, well into adulthood, but it's nothing more than a stupid coincidence that it's his friend from childhood's boyfriend's friend," she said, pointing to Mikki to Seb and landing on Onyx as she talked.

"Seriously, what is your deal, Tina?" Onyx asked, squeezing her boyfriend's hand a bit too hard.

"I don't believe that you and Seb have only ever been friends, even Mikki can admit that she had a crush on Mike, there is something going on with you two," Tina stated.

"Oh no, Seb, she caught on to us," Onyx faked gasped.

"Onyx, don't," Seb warned, shaking his head. Tonight was supposed to be a good night to have with it being their last night in their apartment together.

"Ha, I knew something else happened, so what is the big dark secret you haven't told your significant other?" Tina asked with a smirk.

"What's going on?" Mikki asked looking between her boyfriend and his best friend.

"I'm with Mikki and Tina on this one, what secret don't you two want us to find out about?" Clint asked, keeping his focus solely on his girlfriend.

"It's honestly nothing and not even a deep dark secret let alone a secret of any type," Seb sighed.

"Sebastian Smythe, you're gonna tell me that my first ever date which happened to be with you on a double date with your brother, means nothing to you?" She asked, faking a sniffle.

"I knew it," Tina smirked.

Onyx rolled her eyes, and one look at Seb had her laughing, Seb joining in. Both taking deep breaths to get their laughter under control as the others looked on amused and a bit annoyed as to not having the whole story as to what they were going on about. Not to mention the fact they had always said there hadn't been anything going on between them, ever. And that they saw each other as family.

"Talk about a horrible night," Seb laughed again, remembering how the night turned out to be.

"I felt so bad for Jeremy; he was a total mess," Onyx laughed. "I honestly thought it was his first date ever. I don't think his nerves left him until the next night."

"Actually, his nerve didn't leave him for a few days when he got the courage to call her and ask for a second date, and she said yes," Seb laughed.

"Yeah, nope can't say I feel sorry for him, not after what he forced us to do," she laughed, shaking her head. "Think we should fill the rest of the table in?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her best friend.

"It would be mean not to," he said, nodding his head. "What were 12/13 at the time?" He asked.

"About that age," she nodded.

"Jeremy had this date with the new girl at school; he liked her and leading up to date night he started to freak out, and Dylan had plans that he couldn't get out of, and he roped us into going on his date with him," Seb started to explain.

"He didn't care that we were only friends; his excuse was that we couldn't talk ourselves out of was that Seb took me to a party the weekend prior," Onyx said taking over.

"I didn't want to show up to a party by myself with the possibility of running into Jeff," Seb shared. "What else are friends for?" He smirked.

"We went to plenty of parties; some of them were pretty lame," she laughed. "But as you can see it wasn't a real date just a brother and his friend doing a favor for the friend's brother," Onyx shared.

"We just had a free meal and a free show," Seb laughed. "But it was nothing more than friends doing a favor for Jeremy. We weren't keeping it a secret from anyone; it was nothing serious and not all that important," he shrugged.

"It does sound like something you would do for your brother," Mikki laughed.

"I am curious to know what happened with your brother's date, did they start to date after the second date, did they go their separate ways, or what?" Mike asked.

"Well I guess one could say both," he nodded. "They dated for the rest of high school, being high school sweethearts, then they broke up, and they are now back together," Seb shared.

"Talk about a love story," Onyx smiled, looking at her boyfriend.

"I'm very partial to our love story," he smiled. Onyx easily agreed to that.

* * *

After dinner was eaten, games played, and the apartment to themselves for one last night, Onyx found herself laying in Seb's bed.

"Promise me that is moving on with our lives will not change our friendship," she commented.

"You serious, right now?" Seb asked in disbelief at his best friend. "How can you even think that?"

"Because over the years, you're like the only friend I have from when we were kids, and I can't lose you now," she told him. "The rest of them, I lost, but it didn't have any effect over me, but it will if I lose you as my best friend," she said.

"We don't need an apartment to stay friends. We work at the same school, didn't we also set aside one day a week to meet up and eat our fill while we play the game of catch up, not that we need because we will talk all the time, it's going to be like before we shared this apartment, Onyx. Our friendship is by far too strong to break over is moving on with our lives," he promised her.

"I know," she softly told him. "I just don't want our lives to change and get crazy busy that we just stop being friends," she sighed.

"I won't let that happen, and I know you won't let it happen. Not to mention those around us won't let it happen," he said, moving to hug her.

"No they won't," she laughed, returning the hug.

The blissful moment between friends being broken up by Onyx's phone ringing. Moving to grab her phone she frowned, seeing that Jeff is calling her nearly at midnight. Most nights it wouldn't bother her getting a call this late at night from Jeff since he started to be a late-night radio DJ, but with everything going on, it worried her just a bit.

"What's with the late night chat?" She asked answering her phone.

"Is this Onyx?" A worried, sobbing woman asked.

"It is, who is this and where's my brother?" She asked, sitting up in Seb's bed, gaining his attention as well.

"This is Courtney, his girlfriend; I know we haven't met and that is all on me, and I am sorry about that, but um," she paused.

"What's going on Courtney?" Onyx asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. At this second, she didn't care about why she hadn't met Courtney yet, all she wanted to know is what's going on with her brother. "Tell me everything's okay with him?" She pleaded into the phone.

"I would if I could, but um, I don't know what's going on, they won't tell me anything. He's in surgery; that's all I know," Courtney rushed out.

"I am on my way," she said, hanging up the phone. "Jeff's in surgery, didn't think I could handle the story as to why until I get there," she told Seb as she rushed to her room to get dressed in something other than the PJs she had on.

"I will drive you," Seb said, waiting by the door for her, keys in his hand. She nodded, figuring that would be the best bet to go with. "Why don't you call Clint on the way; you might need him," he suggested as they headed down the hall.

"Maybe once I get the story of what happened and how he's doing," she told Seb, trying her hardest not to freak out over her brother being in the hospital. "I should probably call my parents at some point to, but I don't want to worry them until I have answers," she said, talking mostly to herself. "Do you think I should call Mike?" She asked, pulling her phone out to call Mike. She didn't know the protocol when it came to Mike as of yet, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"Hey, everything is going to be okay," Seb comforted her, or maybe he was trying to comfort himself; he wasn't sure which one.

"He has to be," she said with determination.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey all, Glee belongs to its rightful owners. Courtney belongs to KikiJuanita, and you need to have her permission like I have to use her. Any other unrecognizable characters belong to me and cannot be used without my permission.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

She thought once she got to the hospital that all the questions she had swimming around in her head would be answered. But they hadn't been as Jeff was still in surgery, and she didn't know how much longer he would be under the knife. None of the nurses she talked to would give her a clear update on Jeff, always telling her that once he's done in surgery the doctor would be out to let her know. And frankly, that wasn't good enough for her because she had to know that he is going to be okay, because he couldn't die on the table while they try to fix him.

She hadn't talked to Courtney yet, and they had been waiting for what felt like the worst lifetime in the history of lifetimes, and that boiled down to them being there for a total of 45 minutes. Each second dragging by slower and slower. She held no ill will towards Courtney; she personally didn't think she could deal with what happened.

"Onyx, I know you don't want to hear what lead to Jeff to being in surgery, but you need to know so when you call your parents you can tell them everything," Seb told her softly, holding her as close as the ugly barely cushioned chairs would allow.

"I know," she nodded, closing her eyes. "But I don't know if I can hear it," she said, on the verge of tears.

"That's why I called in reinforcements," he nudged her, making her look to see her frantic boyfriend rush into the small waiting room they occupied. "Don't be mad, but I could see that you needed him," Seb told her with a matter of fact attitude.

She gave her best friend a smile, which was weak; she's pretty certain it looked more like a grimace than a smile, but she couldn't find it in herself to actually smile not when Jeff laid on a table fighting for his life.

"Hey," Clint whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, pulling her as close as humanly possible. He wanted to soak up her pain and make her feel better.

"Hi," she sniffled, burying herself in him, as her arms locked around his waist, finding every ounce of comfort, she has ever felt while in his arms needing it now more than ever, feeling herself start to break down. "I still need to talk to Courtney," she told him, daring a look at her brother's girlfriend.

She had tried to approach when she had entered with Seb but Onyx hadn't even given her a glance, walking straight to the nurses' station looking for answers. Now she could see how distraught and broken she is, she would easily believe the same emotions going through herself are going through her. Showing her just how much Courtney cares about Jeff.

"Go talk to her, baby," Clint whispered in her ear, following what had his girlfriend's attention. "I can come with, if that's what you need," he assured her. He wanted to make sure that through the fog and numbness, she's feeling that he wouldn't leave her.

"I'll be okay," she told him, digging her phone out of her pocket. "Can you call Mike?" She asked him. "I am still not sure how it all works with him with just finding out our family ties, but if it were me, I would like to know," she rambled.

"I can do that," he said, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you," she said, moving over to where Courtney sat alone. Walking up to her Onyx could see the tears slipping from her eyes and seeing just how bright red they are from crying. "Courtney," she softly said, sitting next to her brothers' girlfriend.

"This isn't at all how I wanted this meeting to happen," Courtney started to say, using the back of her hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "You should hate me; I hate me," she grumbled out, closing her eyes to keep more tears at bay.

"Hey now," Onyx said softly, reaching out to hold her hand. "I don't hate you; I do agree that we could have met elsewhere under better circumstances, but I could never hate you, not over this," she softly told her trying to assure her.

"That's because you don't know what happened," she harshly said, pulling her hand away from Onyx, so she could hold her own hands in her lap while she fidgeted.

"Then tell me what happened, Courtney," Onyx said, ready to hear what happened to her brother and what was so bad that Courtney felt guilty in hurting Jeff, if that even happened to be the case.

"It's all my fault," she sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "I just had to go out for ice cream; he refused just wanting to stay in and call it a night early since he had the night off, and I made him relent because I just had to have the stupid ice cream that I didn't get to have, because some stupid idiot couldn't focus on the road as he just had to be all over the latest gossip or something as equally lame on their phone and the car plowed him over after pushing me out of the way. If I wouldn't have bugged him, he'd be at home in bed instead of back there clinging onto the only life he has," she told Onyx, fighting through her tears. "There was so much blood," she whispered, with a shutter.

"I still don't fault you," Onyx told her, pulling her in for a hug to give her some sort of comfort. "It's not your fault at all; I know how stubborn my brother can be, and if he didn't want to leave his place or yours whichever, he wouldn't have. Courtney, you can't control what others do, you didn't know that some guy was going to be distracted by his phone, you didn't know any of it. But what I do know is that Jeff is a fighter, and he has too much to lose to tap out now," she said, trying to calm the other woman. "He's got a lot of life left in him and I, like he will do once he gets out of surgery and wakes from it all; he won't blame you," Onyx stated, knowing just how her brother would go about it all. "It was truly an accident."

"I get it; I do, but I feel so guilty," she sighed. "And that is something that isn't going to go away on its own, not until I physically see Jeff is going to be okay," Courtney told her.

"I can respect that," Onyx nodded, letting the silence take over.

"Hey," Clint said coming over, to kneel in front of Onyx, giving Courtney a tentative smile. "Mike is on his way," he said, giving her knee a squeeze. "I called your mom's and filled them in on what little I knew, I promised that you would call with an update once he's out of surgery, as much as they are worried about Jeff, they're worried about you," Clint informed her.

"Thanks," she smiled, placing her hand on his.

"I didn't call your dad, because I wasn't sure what to do there," he said. He wanted to take as much of the burden off her as he physically could but with the way things were with her father, he didn't want to cross any lines he shouldn't be crossing when it came to him.

"Me either," she sighed, shaking her head. She may not be on good terms with her dad after the whole bomb of Mike, but she knew that she would have to suck it up and give him a call because he did have a right to know. "I'll be right back," she told Courtney. "If you need anything, Seb will get it for you," she let her know. Getting a nod from the equally broken woman, she took her boyfriend's hand, and headed outside needing to feel the cool night air on her skin.

"Hey now," Clint said, catching her the second she collapsed into him. He holds onto her as he rubs circles on her back to sooth her as he feels her body quake with sobs, her tears feeling warm against his skin where they soak through his shirt. "Jeff is going to make it through this; he's strong, and as stubborn as his little sister," he remarked, getting a soft chuckle from her.

Pulling away from him, she takes her phone from his hand and presses the contact for her dad. Taking a deep breath, she holds the phone to ear listening to it ring. Just when she thinks it's going to go to voicemail, her dad picks up. "Onyx, sweet girl, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice laden with sleep.

"It's Jeff," she says, falling back into her boyfriends embrace, needing the strength he has. "He was hit by a car; he lost a lot of blood. He's in surgery, they won't say anything, and I am beyond terrified that I am going to lose him," she explains her voice cracking as she did so, tears spilling over with no way to stop them.

"Oh baby," he whispers, his own sorrow over his son ready to wreck him. "He'll make it; your brother is strong and the most resilient man I have ever met, if anyone can pull through this it's going to be Jeff," he told her, doing all he could through a phone to assure his daughter that her brother was going to be okay.

"That's what I tell myself, and everyone else, but it doesn't ease the worry and the fear that I might lose my brother," she confessed, fisting her free hand in Clint's shirt.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" He asks, getting up to find clothes to put on so he can be there for his daughter and for his son.

"Please hurry, daddy," she whispers, ending the call, the tears coming faster and heavier sobs erupt within her.

There are times to put petty things aside. She doesn't forgive her father for keeping such a big thing from them all these years, but she can push it aside, for the time being, because truth be told she needs to feel the love only a father can give his children. And being in his embrace chases away the fear she has of losing her brother.

The time drags by with no word on how Jeff is. The night sky it seems only growing darker from the windows of the hospital waiting room. The skies only seem inkier when they step out needing the fresh air rather than the stuffy air that surrounds them in the waiting room. Someone is always bringing them coffee to drink and something for them to munch on if they so desire to. The coffee is enough for Onyx, as she makes her rounds from sitting with Seb, to checking in with Mike, to sitting on her boyfriend's lap, only then closing her eyes to get a few minutes of slumber. In all of it, she doesn't forget to check in with Courtney, who says very little. She doesn't push it because there is nothing more she can say or do to take the guilt away.

Needing something to keep her mind from worrying about what's taking the doctors so long with Jeff, she plops herself down next to Courtney.

"My brother got on my nerves so much when we were growing up," she starts to say, picking at her nails. "But I can remember when I was just a little girl that Jeff was my hero," she laughs, and takes a moment for herself. Thinking back to how close she is with him now and how she still looks up to her big brother. "He still is," she shares smiling a real smile for the first time in what feels like days. "This one day, it was the first day of summer, and the pool opened up that day after a remodel, it was my first date ever, and I was so freaked out by it that Jeff made sure that him, and his friends spent the day at the pool as well. He annoyed me with pulling the overprotective big brother card but knowing he was there was enough to ease my nerves," Onyx tells her.

"What happened on the date?" She asks.

"It was fun; we goofed off in the pool; he bought me a slushie and it was the most fun I had ever had up to that point," Onyx laughs. "It ended horribly. He admitted once Jeff came over to put an end to the date, that he only asked me out because he wanted to be friends with Jeff."

"Let me guess," Courtney says, a smile tugging at her lips. "Jeff didn't like that a boy used you?"

"You'd be right," Onyx laughs. "He tore into Eli so badly about using girls that I'm still to believe that Eli is still licking his wounds," she says, wiping the tears from laughing too hard from her eyes.

"I know I haven't known your brother all that long, but that just screams a Jeff thing to do," she says, controlling her laughter.

"It really is. He's always been there for me, even when I didn't want him to be, but I have always been thankful for him to pull the big brother card afterwards," she says. And she's going to be here for him, through it all.

"Ever since I met him, and we got to know each other; he's always spoken highly of you; it was so clear to see how much he cares for you and the respect he holds for you, Onyx. He made sure I knew it wasn't always smooth sailing between you guys," Courtney said.

"It wasn't, not by a long shot, but honestly I wouldn't change it because we're closer than ever now and that means a great deal to me," Onyx shared. She would hate to have a distance from her brother now. What they went through growing up brought them closer now, and that means the world to her.

"I can see it means a lot to him as well," she nodded. "I honestly wanted to have dinner to meet you where Jeff could keep things from getting all sorts of awkward," she once again told Onyx.

"I'd say it's up there but trust me; I have met a couple of his girlfriend's in worse ways. But honestly don't sweat it, Courtney. You staying here gives me all the proof, I need to know that he's in good hands, you're still here as anxious and wrecked as the rest of us. You may not love him yet, but I think you're close to falling deep for my brother, and that makes me happy because he's happy. How we met, does not impact the way I feel about him being in a happy and healthy relationship, nor does it have any part in if we can be friends or not. Heck if we can get through this together, there's not much else that can hold us back," she smiled at her brother's girlfriend.

"Jeff told me that you're a history teacher, and that you've been with your boyfriend for four months now," she said, thinking back to what Jeff had told her.

"It's crazy to think we've only been dating that amount of time," she smiled, casting a look at her boyfriend, seeing him in a deep conversation with Mike and Seb. Four months and she was living with him, and that didn't scare her; she felt more giddy than anything else. "I actually met him in June, and the irony of it all is that I went to school with him for two years before going to the rival school," she laughed. "And oddly enough we hadn't known each other back then."

"I guess it could be worse; he could've been your ex," Courtney commented.

"I feel like there is a story there," Onyx said with a small laugh, for the first time since hearing about her brother being in surgery getting a small chance to enjoy the company of Courtney and get the chance to know her.

"Well let's just say, you shouldn't date an ex," she sighed. "Trust me, I learned my lesson. Not sure why I thought it would work a second time when it nearly exploded the first time around."

"Sometimes it's not the people that change but the circumstances that surround them. And when you love someone you believe the best in them, because love really is blind," Onyx commented, taking a look at Clint, starting to wonder if there was anything about him that she happened to be blind about.

"From what I can tell, he loves you as much as you love him, I don't know what he has hidden nor do I know what you have buried beneath everything but whatever it is, if there is something, you guys will work through it and become stronger than you are now," Courtney comforted her.

"Oddly enough, I don't doubt that," she smiled. "I also do know that once Jeff is given the okay," she started to say, biting back her tears at the mere thought of Jeff not making it out of this situation, because she had to believe that all would be okay, and her brother would be there for all the milestones not in her life but in his as well. "That you two will make it out to the other side better than ever," she said, gently giving the other woman's hand a squeeze.

"Thanks," she smiled sadly. "I have always felt bad for the way it went down because I never wanted to become between him and Sugar," she confessed softly.

"I can assure you, just like I am sure Jeff has done; you did no such thing. Those two were so far ahead of themselves trying to make their relationship work, that it did fall to pieces before their very eyes with no way to fix it. Trust me, I haven't seen my brother this happy in such a long time if ever," Onyx assured her.

"What about Sugar?" Courtney asked. She had met her a few times, and she was such a sweet woman that she didn't like what had transpired. "Jeff had said you were friends with her."

"She's good, in a new relationship. I have yet to meet the guy, but I think like Jeff, she too has learned her lesson in jumping into everything without looking."

"I wasn't sure what you wanted to drink, but I got coffee and tea," Mike said, walking over, handing Onyx a cup of coffee from a little place that holds odd hours. "Clint and Seb told me you'd want coffee even if you should have tea," he chuckled.

"Oh I am sure they're right," Onyx laughed softly, taking the lid off her coffee to blow on it. "But I need my coffee," she smiled, breathing in the goodness of the sweet aroma. "Irish creme?" She asked.

"That would have been Clint if you don't like it," Mike made sure she knew.

"Oh no," Onyx quickly shook her head. "I love Irish Creme," she smiled, taking a tentative sip.

"Do you have a green tea?" Courtney asked. She really couldn't stomach anything as strong as a coffee, and she did prefer tea over coffee.

"Sure do," Mike nodded, handing her a green tea. "There's pastries, if you feel up to eating," he informed them.

"Thanks," Courtney told him, holding her cup with both hands.

"Thanks Mike, but that'll be a no," she told him, replacing the lid on her cup. Food didn't even start to sound appetizing.

"You're welcome," he nodded, leaving them be.

They sat in silence, not really sure where to start the conversation up at. Not that it mattered as the next person to walk into the room happened to be her dad, and despite the feelings over the bombshell, needing her dad, is something she really needed. It took her mere seconds to go from her seat to being wrapped up in her dads embrace, her tears coming quick as he calmed her down.

She didn't know how much longer it was before she was curled up on her boyfriend's lap, the chairs the hospital provided not making it easy, but they made to do; she avoided checking the time, unlike the rest of them. With her head on Clint's chest and the steady thrum of his heart, she found herself being pulled into a restless sleep. She woke to Clint pressing a soft kiss on her head, telling her the doctor was waiting.

She pulled her boyfriend over with her, fearing the worst and needing his support as the doctor explained to them what happened to Jeff. She tried to follow along with what he was telling them, but she was finding it hard to do so for whatever reason.

"Wait," she said, shaking her head momentarily. "I want to make sure I have everything right to this point," she said, licking her lips. "He lost a lot of blood, broken bones in his left arm and his left leg; one of his lungs collapsed; he for a small moment died on your table," she rattled off, not sure how anyone dying could be for a small amount of time when it was all huge.

"Yes, that'd be correct," the doctor nodded. "We had put him into a medically induced coma, with the swelling on his brain, which went down greatly. He, however, has fallen into a coma, and it's hard to say when he'll wake up. He's being moved to a room; a nurse will come get you when you can visit with him. Only a few at a time," he told them. "If you have questions at any time, don't hesitate to ask."

Onyx was sure she should have asked questions, but her mind was blank and numb. All she wanted to do was go see her brother to make sure that he was okay, well okay as one can be in a coma that is.

"I'll call your mom and fill her in," her dad said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. She nodded, walking back to the seat they had vacated when the doctor came in, except this time she sat in her own chair.

"Baby, you need to eat something," Clint whispered in her ear, holding an apple turnover out for her to take. Not feeling like eating much of anything, she took a bite of it well he held onto the apple turnover and slowly chewed it. The once delicious flavor tasting more like cardboard in her mouth.

"I can't," Onyx told him, pushing his hand with the turnover away, it took everything in her to swallow the small bite she had taken. He nodded, placing it back down in the box, placing his arm around her shoulders after wiping his hands clean on a napkin.

"Onyx, baby," was being said, to justle her awake. "You can go see Jeff," Clint told her.

"Come with me?" She asks, getting up to stretch her muscles out. Clint nodded his head, taking her hand as they followed behind the nurse.

She really thought that when she stepped through the door of her brother's hospital room that she would be in a panic over seeing the tubes and wires attached to him, but that hasn't been the case; she felt at ease seeing him lying there, the beeps telling her that he is still with them. Tears did prick her eyes as she sat down in one of the two chairs in the room. She tentatively reached out to clasp her hand in his.

"Jeff, you gotta wake up," she started to say. "I need my big brother immensely, not only that, meeting your girlfriend in the waiting room wasn't entirely the best way to meet her," she said growing quiet for a few minutes. "I can't take up too much time since everyone else wants to come see you, but you best believe I'll be back. I love you, Jeff," she whispered, kissing her brother's hand.

She knew that she had to let everyone else see him, yet she couldn't make herself move from his bedside.

"It's okay," Clint said, moving the chair to sit it next to her. "They understand. You need to take all the time you need," he told her, taking her free hand in his. "Be a little selfish," he urged her.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Hey all. Sorry for the bit of wait for this one. That hadn't been my intention when I left it off the way I had. But the easiest way to sum it all up without getting into it all is**_ _ **one can't simple stop life from happening. Onyx is mine and can't be used without my permission. I have permission to use Mikki, Dylan, Jeremy and Courtney as they are mentioned within this chapter and you must get permission from KikiJuanita, as they belong to her.**_

 _ **Enjoy.**_

* * *

Her Monday turned out to go the complete opposite of how she thought it would go. Her day started out on the bright side. Waking up in Clint's embrace made her feel a tangle of emotions, all happy ones, making her skin tingle. Sharing coffee and breakfast with her boyfriend had been a flurry of giddiness, knowing it would be an everyday thing. Getting to the school things had still been going good until she heard from Jake, who was sick in bed with the flu and there was no way that he would be coming in for the next few days. The earliest he might be back would be Wednesday. With not knowing when he would be back for certain, she made a weekly plan, which hadn't been that hard, since she already knew what Jake was going to do as they had gone over it together.

She hadn't missed her students groaning and complaining with her over the reading assignment and the questions they were to answer at the end of the chapter. She honestly didn't think she could do anything more than that. Not when her mind was still on Jeff, worried about if he would wake from his coma or have some sort of setback. Each class seemed to be the same groaning over the work she gave them for the night, she did point out that she could toss her own rules out the window and give them a test, if they so pleased. They hushed right up and got busy with the assignment she gave them, while she tried to stay busy keeping her mind from Jeff.

"Detention duties have been taken care of for the next few weeks, everyone pulled together to make sure you don't have any to serve," Seb said, stepping into the classroom after the dismissal bell rang. He had met with the other teachers to discuss it, saying that she needed some personal time.

"Your doing no doubt," she commented, collecting her things. "Thanks for doing it," she smiled, looking up at her friend.

"Still nothing on Jeff?" He asked, walking closer. "You're welcome, but it's nothing, really," he waved it off.

"Not unless something happened today, I'll let you know once I know something," she let him know, double checking, she had everything, in her quick haste to get to the hospital. Seb nodded, walking out of the classroom, so she could lock her door before leaving.

The drive from the school to the hospital passed Onyx by in a blur. And like no time at all ticked by she sat in her brothers' room, noting that he had a few visitors throughout the day with the group of flowers sitting on the window ledge, and some get better balloons. She sat by his bed grading some assignments that had been turned in, letting the beeping of the machines calm her. So far, there still hadn't been any change with Jeff, and even though they didn't say it, she could tell that they were worried about what could happen if he didn't wake up sooner rather than later.

"Jeff," she sighed taking his hand in both of hers, having finished her grading and set the bag by the door out of the way. "I don't know what's going on in your mind that's keeping you from waking up, and I am sure it's not something I could begin to comprehend, but fight Jeff; you need to fight and come back to us," she told him, licking her lips, her eyes closing to keep the tears at bay.

"As long as you stay strong hunny, he'll be strong," said a voice from behind her. Without even looking she knew the voice as her mothers.

"You guys made it," she weakly smiled at her mom, rushing to hug her.

"Later than we would have liked, but not much you can do to make planes go faster," she said. "I talked to the doctors so no worries on filling me in," she softly said, rubbing her daughter's back. Onyx nodded, not ready to leave her moms embrace.

"If you want a minute alone I can go," she offered.

"Hunny, no," her mom shook her head. "You had to work and I don't mind waiting until tomorrow to have some alone time with him."

"If you're sure," Onyx said a bit warily. She didn't want to take time away from them.

"Positive," she assured her daughter.

Onyx nodded, letting her mom have the more comfortable chair in the room and took one of the wooden folding chairs hung on the wall down to unfold and sit close to her mom out of the way for when the doctors showed up to check vitals.

"Where's…" Her question trailing off seeing said woman entering the room with three coffees. "You doing okay?" Lydia asked, handing Onyx the cup of coffee she ordered for her.

"Define okay," Onyx sighed, happily taking the caffeine, needing it more than she should this late into the day. "Thanks," she half smiled, taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid.

"Oh sweetie," Lydia sighed, giving her a side hug and kissing the top of her head. "You know how dramatic your brother can be," she said doing what she could to lighten the mood in the room.

"Center of attention, that one," Onyx laughed lightly.

"What's been going on in your life, it feels like we haven't talked in a long time," her mom commented, looking at her daughter, while moving to hold her son's hand.

"I'm sure you guys know all about the Mike ordeal, and it's weirder than it should be considering he's a friend," she stated. "I moved in with Clint, officially yesterday; I know that's what you really want to know," she said, seeing the looks shared between her mom and Lydia.

"We always want to know how you're doing, sweetie," her mom commented. "And to know that you're moving forward in a relationship with a man you love, is wonderful to hear. And even I can see that Clint and the relationship you have with him is different from the others," Jade told her daughter. She was beyond happy for her daughter to have a love she could get lost in; it was all she ever wanted for her daughter and for her son.

"I am with your mom, Onyx. We're happy that you're happy, and it's a happiness we haven't seen from you in a long time when it comes to a guy," Lydia smiled. "And unfortunately, we knew about the whole Mike thing," she started to say, for Jade to cut her off.

"But it was something you needed to hear from your father, and it killed us to keep something like that from you, honestly we didn't know that you knew Mike, if we would've known, things might have been different," she sighed.

"No they wouldn't be," Onyx sighed. "Dad needed to be the one to share the news. Hearing it from you guys it would've made the situation worse," she shrugged. "At this point I just want to move past it all. Things with Mike have been sorted out, and I'm trying to get over the lie and get back to what we use to have," she shared, picking at her nails.

"You'll get it back," her mom told her, sending her a smile across the room. "Have you met your brothers' new girlfriend?" She asked.

"I did," she nodded. "Not the way it had been planned, but in the waiting room when Jeff got brought in," she shared.

"Talk about awkward," her mom laughed softly.

"At first, but it wasn't so bad after a while," Onyx shrugged. "She's good for Jeff, even if I haven't seen them together," she tacked on.

"How is Sugar?" Her mom asked. "I liked those two together; I don't know much about Courtney," she said.

"Sugar is good; she's in a new relationship, and I haven't met the guy nor do I know his name," she said, not wanting her moms to press her on something she couldn't give them an answer to. "You're going to like her; I do believe she's a better fit for Jeff," she commented. She loved her friend, but she hadn't been on board for the relationship she shared with her brother, just because she didn't think they could click the way you should when in love.

That's how the rest of her early evening went, talking to her mom and Lydia as they sat in Jeff's room waiting on any sort of sign from him on waking soon.

"Don't stay too long and make sure you eat," Jade told her daughter, embracing her in a tight hug, kissing her temple. "Call if you need anything," her mom said, Onyx nodding, saying she would.

"Will do," she nodded. "I'm going to get a soda," she said, exiting the room to give them a moment alone with Jeff, she made sure to take her time.

When she got back to the hospital room, Jeff was the only occupant in the room. She retook the more comfortable but still slightly horrible chair by her brothers' bedside.

"Oh sweet brother of mine, you know how much I hate to boss you around, but ya know in this instant; I need to be bossy, and you need to listen to your little sister, Jeff; you gotta wake up; I can't do this without my brother. You've been everything to me growing up, and I am afraid that I am still going to need you for so much more stuff in the future. You can't leave me now; I won't have it," she warned him, curling up in the chair, her shoes making a small plop sound on the titled floor. "And because you won't do as I say, I get to pick what we watch on TV," she smirked, turning the TV on and finding something mindless to keep thoughts and worries away, as she laughed at what they said.

"Baby, hey," Clint softly said, rousting his girlfriend awake.

Onyx blinked the sleep from her eyes, going as far as rubbing at them, to see her boyfriend crouched in front of her. "What time is it?" She asked.

"Going on 8, when you didn't show up for dinner, I figured you'd be here; I didn't think you'd have fallen asleep," he told her, having her get up, so he could sit down, pulling her into his lap.

"Guess I have been more tired than I have thought," she said, laying her head against his shoulder. "I had planned on leaving like two hours ago, but my moms were here, and after they left I kind of settled in and drifted off," she explained to him.

"Like I said, Onyx, I knew you were here safe and not in trouble somewhere; I ain't mad about it. You did text me to say you were stopping to see your brother," he said, gently rubbing her back. What right did he have in being mad at her for being at her brothers' side? He knew that she needed to be here, to assure herself that Jeff was still alive despite the coma ordeal.

"I still feel bad that I fell asleep instead of making it home for dinner," she told him. "I'm sorry," she apologized, kissing his jaw.

"Nothing to be sorry about babe," he assured her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Let me use the bathroom, and we can go home and have dinner," she said. She wasn't entirely sure that she could eat a full meal, but she knew that she needed to eat something.

"Deal," he smiled, letting her get up and walk into the bathroom in the hospital room. "Dude," he sighed, talking in a hushed tone as not to alert his girlfriend. "You might think that everything is so much better in your head and that coming back to us, can't live up to the world you're in, but you've got it wrong. We need you awake; your sister needs you; she's slowly falling apart. Come back to us, please," he pleaded.

"Give me a second?" She asked, turning the light off in the bathroom as she exited it.

"I'll be in the hall," he nodded, softly shutting the door behind him.

"Fight Jeff," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Good night," she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I love you."

Once at home, Onyx went to wash her makeup off and to change her clothes, grabbing one of Clint's old shirts, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, until bed. While she was doing that, Clint got dinner warmed up. He wanted to take her pain away and not being able to do that, he's going to do everything that he can to make it easier on her, for as long as he has to.

* * *

Tuesday went the same way Monday had, after school she went to visit with Jeff, the stubborn man who is still laid in a coma, the doctors a bit more hopefully than they had been previously, there had been more of a sign in his readings throughout the day, and they were hopeful that he would wake within the next few days.

Wednesday her students surprised her before school. She had been in her classroom, talking to Jake, his first day back after getting better. They were in the process of what they were going to put on the test the following week, when a knock on the door pulled their attention to the small group of students entering the classroom. Looking over the handful of them, she could see that they were all from her classes.

"What can I do for you ladies?" She asked, giving them her full attention, Jake watching on with interest.

"We heard about your brother," Lizzie softly said. "We wanted you to know how sorry we are," she said.

"Thank you," Onyx told them, flashing a smile at them. She wasn't even shocked that news spread to the students, not with the way teachers liked to gossip like they were the teens in high school.

"We know we didn't have to, but we wanted to show you how much we appreciate you and that whatever happens with your brother; we've got you," Aubrey stated, revealing the vase of lilies she hid behind her back.

"This is wonderful," she smiled, getting up to take the flowers, placing them in the window, to get some sun. "Thank you," she told them, trying her damnedest not to cry over how sweet her students were being.

"You're welcome Ms. Sterling," the small group said together, going back to the busy hallways.

"And right there is the kind of teacher I hope to be," Jake commented, looking at Onyx. "They respect you," he easily explained upon seeing the bewildered look on her face.

"I respect them," she shrugged. "They have yet to give me a reason to treat them with disrespect," she said, sitting at her desk as the first bell rang. "And you'll be an amazing teacher when you get your own class, they're going to respect you; these kids already do," she assured him.

"I don't know about that," he chuckled lightly, taking his place in front of the classroom. "But who am I to challenge what you say in your classroom?" He teasingly asked.

"Flattery in this room gets you nowhere, Mr. Puckerman," she smirked, turning to her computer, as the bell rang and Jake took attendance.

The first two periods went by fast, and she could only hope that the next half of her workday went by as fast as the first half. Instead of heading to the teacher's lounge for lunch, she stayed in her room, pulling her phone out to see that her boyfriend wanted her to call her as soon as she could.

"Hey babe," he greeted. She cringed hearing some glass break in the background.

"Yeah, hey, everything good over there?" She asked, cracking a smile as he cursed under his breath.

"That would be a no," he sighed into the phone. "Water pipe broke so I've got to close until it gets fixed, and you just heard a glass break, which would be like the tenth or so in the last hour. And they have to tear down the wall; it's a complete mess; I don't even know if the flooring can be saved," he told her.

"Baby, I'm sorry," she told him, feeling really bad that he was dealing with such a horrible situation. She didn't even want to hear the story behind the broken glasses.

"Yeah," he sighed, moving to his office, as the crew started up their work again after taking a break. He wanted to have some silence while talking to his girlfriend. "With everything going wrong, I am about ready to say screw it and close the place down and cut ties with it and call it a loss and figure out what else I want to do," he told her honestly.

"I am all for you figuring out what you want to do, Clint. But I also don't want you to walk away from the place that makes you happy because you're having a bad day, maybe you should sleep on it," she suggested.

"Yeah," he sighed, scratching his head. "I am not about to run out and close down now," he shared. "Or ever, because I wouldn't know what I would want to do otherwise," he told her.

"You'd figure out," she smiled. "So is that what you wanted me to call about or did you have something else to talk about?" She asked, wanting to get him to focus on something else and stop stressing even if for a minute.

"No," he answered, leaning back in his chair. "I do want to talk about Christmas plans before it gets any closer, so don't let me forget," he warned her. "But I was thinking we could go out tonight; I know you like spending the night in your brothers hospital room, and we can go after that," he told her.

"A date night with my boyfriend, sounds like a beautiful dream," she smiled. "I promise not to waste all night in Jeff's room, so we can have date night," she smiled.

"I will see you tonight," he said, hearing some more crashing coming from the main area of his club. "I need to go, love you," he said.

"As I love you, and deep breaths, baby," she told him, hearing a sigh come from his end of the line before going dead.

With her focus back on her last class of the day, and the drama that was her boyfriend and that of her brother in the back of her mind, the day finished quickly, Jake taking the work home giving her the night off from grading. Jake wanted to do as much as he could for Onyx. He couldn't even begin to imagine going through what she is with her brother. He even promised to lock up for her, letting her leave the school as early as she has the last two days.

And like the last two days, the drive to the hospital from the school, went by in a blur. She had thought about making a detour to see how Clint and his club was coming along, but decided against it, because she was excited for date night with her boyfriend, and she wanted to see her brother, hoping that today be the day he woke up.

The walk down to his room uneventful, the last two days she passed his nurse and met his doctor, but today the hall was quiet, his door shut when she got to it, the nurses' station had been empty as well. She took a deep breath pushing the door open. It never got easier to see her brother laying in a bed with wires and tubes hooked to him, and she did have to steel herself for what lay on the opposite side of the door.

"Oh Jeff," she sighed, plopping down in the chair by his bed, no other visitors there. Flowers seemed to be overtaking the window ledge. "I really wish you'd stop being such a pain in my ass, here I thought we got over that as we grew up," she said, grabbing his hand.

She looked up at brother's face, feeling his hand squeeze hers. "We never grew out of being a pain in the ass for the other," he smirked.

"Yeah, how long have you been awake?" She asked, thinking that maybe she was dreaming and at any second, she's gonna wake up to find her brother still in the coma.

"Roughly 3 hours. You're actually the first visitor I have seen. Obviously, I got quite a few, with the garden of flowers," he chuckled, only to cough.

"And everything is fine?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Couldn't tell you," he shrugged. "The drugs they've given me keeps me feeling pretty good and tired," he nodded. "The doctors ran a bunch of tests, but they haven't come back with the results yet," he said, with a yawn.

She got up giving her brother a hug, happy to know that he's with the living once again. "Why don't you get a bit of rest, and I'll be back tomorrow after work for a small chat," she told him.

"But you just got here," he pointed out, his eyes having a hard time staying open.

"I know this," she laughed. "But you need rest and I have a date and now that I know that you're awake, I can stop worrying so much," she told him. "I'll let everyone know that you're awake," she promised.

"Thanks Onyx," he said through a yawn. "Do you need the number for Courtney?" He asked.

"Nope, we became quite the friends in the waiting room. Not the best way to befriend my brother's girlfriend, but it stands out from the rest," she laughed.

"I didn't…" Onyx held her hand up to have him stop talking.

"I know you didn't; we can't change it now, and I like her," she shrugged, pulling the door open, to see the doctor on the other side. "Actually, I think I am going to stay to hear what the doctor has to say," she said, retaking her seat.

Through all the doctor talk, she got the gist of it and that Jeff was fine, no lasting brain damage and by the end of the week he might be able to go home. All good news. She followed the doctor out, Jeff asleep before she could shut the door behind herself.

With knowing that her brother is going to make a full recovery she went home, to get ready for her date with her boyfriend, giving him the attention she's been placing on her brother. Not that he minded, because he did understand and had been there for her. Before leaving the hospital parking lot, she sent a group text telling them that Jeff woke up and is in the clear.

"Wow," Clint breathed, entering the apartment to see his girlfriend in a red dress that showed off plenty of skin, but not enough for his liking. The dress stopped mid-thigh; the cut of the dress showed off the top of her breasts, her shoulders bare as the sleeves wrapped around her upper arms. Her black heels the ultimate torture for him. "You made a crappy day turn into a rainbow," he chuckled, kissing her cheek, not wanting to smudge her red lipstick.

"That's what I was aiming for," she replied. "Go get ready. I took the liberty of sitting your clothes out for you, hope you don't mind," she told him.

"Not a single bit," he said, ready to wash his day away, looking forward to his night out with his girlfriend more than he had been all day.

She found herself sitting at a table half secluded away from the other patrons of the cozy Italian restaurant. A delicious meal half eaten before her and a bottle of wine sitting half empty between them.

"What was it about Christmas you wanted to discuss?" She asked him.

"It's coming up in a few weeks, and I didn't know what you have planned for it. I wasn't sure if we're doing it together or separately," he explained, picking his glass up to take a sip of his wine.

"I always go home to Ohio; I spend Christmas Eve with Seb's family as I consider them an extension of my family, and on Christmas day I spend the morning with my moms, not sure whether Jeff will be there or not this year," she explained to him.

"What about Christmas evening?" He asked her.

"Nothing, it's a big breakfast with moms and gifts and the rest of the day to do whatever, why?" She asked him.

"Because I am going home as well, and I was thinking that maybe we could do it together. I could join you, and you can join me; I don't do anything until the night of Christmas, and we're going to be in the same place," he commented.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she smiled. "I don't know when you plan on leaving, but I can't leave until the 23rd," she informed him.

"I haven't bought my ticket yet," he told her. "I can go on tonight or tomorrow and buy them. I have no rush to be there," he stated.

"Alright," she smiled. "I'll have to let everyone know that I am bringing a plus one. Jeremy and Dylan are going to have a field day," she said shaking her head. "Seb is going to Mikki's family ranch for the holiday, so I'll be the one being picked on and you by association. Still want to come?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I can take Jeremy and you said Dylan wasn't nearly as bad as Jeremy, so I think I can handle my own against them," he nodded. "I'll let my folks know as well. Gotta make sure there's plenty of food, what with the way you can eat and the way Puck eats there might not be enough for the rest of us," he chuckled.

"Jerk," she muttered. "But you might be right, though there's a good chance I won't eat much anyway, your sister is vegan, and obviously I love meat," she commented, motioning to her plate. "But Jason made quite the vegan meal, so we shall see," she said.

"Don't worry, there will be real ham there," he assured her. She nodded happy to hear that she didn't have to prepare for whatever food Rachel ate, because she didn't think she could do it. "How's Jeff?" He asked. He'd been happy when he got the text that he had woken from his coma, and that he was in the clear.

"When I talked to him, he was good as one can be," she said. "I think I'll know more tomorrow when I visit him," she said.

"And how are you feeling?" He asked, holding his hand out for her to take, which she did with ease.

"Relieved," she answered. "There was no way I could be assured that he was going to be okay until he woke up, and once he did; it all clicked that he was going to be; I no longer have to worry about him never waking, because I couldn't deal if I had lost him," she told him, trying and maybe failing in telling him how she felt about Jeff being awake.

"Onyx, baby, if the worst happened you'd have been fine. You have so many people there to help ya through it all and not a one of them would've left you to deal on your own," he assured her, pressing a lingering kiss to the back of her hand.

"I know," she softly told him. "But there is no point in sitting here talking like that when everything is good. I am sure we can have a better topic to talk about on our date than a small game of what if," she smirked.

"Yeah, and what is it you wanna talk about?" He asked her.

"Hmm," she pretended to think. "How about we talk about, I love you," she told him with a sweet smile.

"As I love you," he stated, leaning over to seal his lips with hers.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys, I am sorry for the bit of wait for this chapter. It was out of my control as I had went camping a week and a half ago and what should have been a trip of a few days turned out to be longer as we extended our camping time, which was okay with me as I enjoy camping and the outdoors.**

 **As I have stated before, Onyx belongs to me and you do need permission to use her. KikiJuanita owns the rights to Jeremy, Dylan and Courtney and she has given me permission to use them. The others belong to Glee.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It's been two and a half weeks since Jeff woke from his coma, and he was slowly getting back into the swing of his life, not a single person that knew him wanted him to rush right back in; they wanted him to take it easy until he got the all clear from his doctor, and it was driving him crazy. Onyx spent many nights at his place, having crashed on his couch more than she has at her place.

Not that it mattered. It wasn't like her boyfriend was there and instead of being home with him, she was home with her pup or well their pup. Captain spent his nights at Jeff's as well, her brother slowly warming up to the furry guy.

"So again tell me why you're here, watching reruns of Overhaulin' when you could be at your home watching anything you want with your boyfriend?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at his sister. He wasn't at all shocked or surprised when he found out that while he was getting ran over that she was making the jump from being roommates with Seb to living with her boyfriend. He's happy for her. He can see how happy she is about living with Clint and that's all he wanted for his sister, to be happy. However, tonight she looked every bit the opposite of happy. And it wasn't like he could get into a scrap with the dude, not in his condition, he could call up Sam, Blaine, and Nick to do it for him though, but he wasn't ready to pull that card quite yet.

"Because it's an empty apartment. As it has been the last two weeks, with him spending every hour, he can at the club trying to make the remodel go faster," she sighed. "And I sure in the heck didn't move in with my boyfriend to be by myself," she stated a bit bitterly.

"Onyx," Jeff sighed, shaking his head. "You should be at home, having this talk with him when he does show up, or you know call him and tell him to come home," he told his sister.

"I know," she said, licking her lips. "I know communication is important, but it's hard to talk when it's like we're passing ships in the dark. And I am the last person that's going to pick up a phone and beg for him to come home to talk," she sighed.

"You wouldn't be begging," Jeff told her. "Either you go home and call him, or I will," he warned. "I won't let the best relationship you've ever been in end because you're not brave enough to speak up," he finished telling her. He moved slightly, picking up his phone. "Which will it be?" He asked.

"I get it," she said getting up. "Need anything before I go?" She asked, collecting her things, waiting on her brother to answer.

"Yeah, nope, I'm all good," he said, unlocking his phone to send a message.

"You could've told me the real reason you didn't want me to stay," she laughed, walking to the door. "And I can always stay back for Christmas," she offered.

"Yeah, no," he laughed. "You've got three families waiting on you back in Ohio this season; I won't be the one to make you stay. I'll be fine and there's friends here so I won't be alone for the season," he assured her.

Onyx nodded, and headed out. The first thing she was going to do was take Captain for a walk and try to get her boyfriend to come home. And if she couldn't do that, then maybe she needed to rethink her relationship with him. By no means should she be seeing less of him when they share a space. She knows she's seen more of him before she moved into his place with him.

"Oh, hey, I wasn't expecting you to be home," she said seeing her boyfriend standing in the kitchen, looking over something on his laptop.

"I wasn't expecting you to be home either," he replied back, not bothering to look away from the contract he was reading over.

"You could've called; I would've come home sooner," she told him, leaning on the counter opposite of him.

"Would you though?" He asked, closing his laptop.

"What's that mean?" She asked him.

"This is the first face to face conversation we've had in two weeks," he replied.

"And last week I told you that I was going to be home late because I had a weeks worth of detentions scheduled for everyone who covered for me when Jeff was in the hospital," she stated. "I wasn't the one gone Saturday and Sunday either," she pointed out.

"You had one week of late nights at work, what about this past week, huh?" He asked. "I was here thinking that you might just show up, but nope, you weren't here when I went in to see what I could do to fix my club up. I get that you're still worried about Jeff, but using your brother to avoid your boyfriend, is low," he said. "And if I recall you weren't here Saturday, something about the play at school," he reminded her.

"It's a moot point, Clint. I may have spent my time with my brother helping him out, because hello he's my family," she said. "And yes, I am supposed to be here with my boyfriend, if only he was here. What's the point of being at home to spend time with my boyfriend, when he's not here?" She questioned.

"Because it's your home, or at least, it used to be," he said, grabbing his laptop and moving to the kitchen table, instantly regretting his choice of words.

"If that's how you really feel; I'll leave you to your little bachelor pad," she spat out, turning right around and storming out of the door, ignoring the exasperated sigh of her boyfriend.

She sighed, trying to keep her stupid tears where they belonged and not running down her cheeks. She fell to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest, laying her head on her arms that rested across her knees. She wasn't going to run away from her problems; she was going to let herself have a chance to calm down so she didn't say the wrong thing and really mess everything up with Clint, because no matter what one said, you could never take it back; it would always be there between you and used against you in the next fight. That and she didn't want to regret saying the wrong thing. She may have many regrets but saying the wrong thing to ruin her relationship isn't one she wants hanging over her head.

And because she left her pup in the apartment, and she didn't want to storm back in after already making her exit. She'd just chill in the hall for a few minutes, and they could talk like the adults they are and work through the problems they have.

"Why don't you come back inside, and we can salvage the rest of our night," Clint suggested, sitting on the floor next to her.

"You sure you want me in your space?" She asked, refusing to move her head to look at him. "Because if not I can be moved out in a matter of minutes," she tacked on, finding it hard to keep all emotions out of her voice, when all she wanted to do is break down and cry her eyes out.

"I am sorry for making you think that I didn't want you living there," he apologized. "It was wrong of me to say such a thing. I am sorry. It's our apartment and I want you there, Onyx. I don't want you anywhere else than with me in our home," he softly told her, lacing his fingers with hers.

"I don't want to be anywhere else either. And it hurt when you said what you said. It made me think that I am not good enough, that you're tired of me, tired of our relationship," she sighed, licking her lips.

"I'm not tired of any of this," he assured her. "The only thing I am tired of is us not being together," he said. "You have to admit that we've spent more time with each other when we lived separately than we have now, and we sleep in the same bed," he sighed.

"I do admit to that, but it's not just me, Clint. I did have to stay late at work; I did want to check on Jeff and help him, and I thought you were understanding about that and I am sorry that I haven't been here supporting you with the club needing repairs and whatnot, the way I should've been," she apologized.

"You shouldn't be worrying over my stuff, Onyx. I do get it, but it's feeling like you don't want to be here, living together or even in this relationship," he sighed.

"I want it all with you," she assured him, crawling into his lap. "I love you," she smiled, kissing his nose. "I only spent so much time with Jeff because you weren't here."

"And we're going to change it all," he told her. "I love you and the world is ours to take," he smirked, kissing her.

"We should really take this inside," she giggled, feeling his lips skim over her neck. "And before we get carried away, I need to walk Captain," she said, lightly pushing him away.

"Already did," he told her, getting up. "He'll be good until tonight," he said, helping her up.

* * *

She stood looking in the fridge to see what she could make for a late dinner, after having the best make-up sex in her life, she grew hungry from the activities in their bed and the shower mixed in with the fact, she really hasn't eaten a full meal since the day prior. She grabbed am energy bar on her way out the door this morning to work and for lunch, she had some fruit. And when she got to Jeff's place, she had a few cookies, but now she was starving.

"We could always order some take out," Clint commented, opening his laptop once more to finish up what he had been doing when Onyx returned home.

"I actually don't want take out; I'd much prefer a home-cooked meal," she sighed, not seeing anything that was really catching her attention in the fridge.

"How about you put some pants on to go with my shirt, and I'll sort dinner out while you take Captain for a quick walk around the block," he suggested.

"Deal," she smiled, walking to the bedroom to slip a pair of leggings on, along with socks. "My recommendation is something quick," she told him, grabbing her keys and some doggie bags and placing it by the door while she clipped the leash to Captain's collar.

"I'll try," he assured her, looking through the pantry to see what he could toss together.

Walking Captain had taken longer than she would have liked, as he was being stubborn as ever finding the perfect spot to go to the bathroom. So by the time she made it back to the apartment, Clint already had the food at the table, and the aroma alone made her mouth water, and her stomach start to gargle at the enticing smell.

"Babe, I sure in the hell hope this tastes as good as it smells," she commented, placing her things on the counter as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink.

"It will," he smirked, shutting the fridge from where he was getting the bottle of wine.

Onyx rolled her eyes, drying her hands off. "It almost smells as good as the baked Mac N cheese," she commented, taking her seat at the table, seeing the skillet Mac N cheese, with tomatoes and bacon mixed in.

"Then dig in," he chuckled, pouring her a glass of wine. She did just that, moaning with the first bite of food. "Someone loves it," he joked, digging into his own food.

They eat in silence for a few minutes, Onyx not having the time to do anything other than eat with how hungry she suddenly felt and Clint letting her eat, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her anyway.

"Have you booked the flight?" She asked, pushing the noodles around on her plate now that she's full and couldn't eat anymore.

"Yes," he confirmed. "The flight is at 6 on the 23rd. So I figured I'd pick up from the school, and we can head straight to the airport," he told her.

"Sounds good," she nodded.

"I also booked a hotel room; it made more sense that way, especially with how late we'll be getting in," he told her. She nodded; she'd much rather preferred to stay at a hotel rather than crash in her old childhood room. Nothing against her room or her mothers, she just wanted to have a bit more privacy than she'd get at her childhood home.

"The only thing there is the time we need to be up on Christmas to get to my mom's place, as breakfast is at like 7, but I can convince them to push it back a few hours, so we have time," she told him.

"Christmas is meant to be spent getting up early," he chuckled. "I also booked the return flight for the 28th. Figured we could spend bringing in the New Year with our friends here," he told her.

"I love you for that," she smiled. "I love a white Christmas, but I hate the cold," she laughed. "That and I would much rather spend the New Year here with everyone," she told him. When really the only person she needed to ring in the new year is sitting across the table from her. She didn't need to go out and party; she would very much like to curl up on the couch or in bed and watch the ball drop on TV.

"Is that the only reason you love me?" He teased, getting up and taking her plate along with his to the sink.

"You know the answer to that question," she replied, getting up to find a dish to put the leftovers in.

"That I do," he laughed, filling the sink with hot water. "I just wasn't sure how pissed you'd be if I ended the trip before you wanted to come home," he shrugged.

"We could have left the day-after Christmas, and I wouldn't have cared. Out of all the traditions that I do around Christmas, the only one that I need is the one where I spend it with you," she stated, wrapping her arms around him from behind, kissing the middle of his back. "Let me help," she said, standing next to him to rinse the dishes. She knew it was no use to tell him they could've waited until morning or to use the dishwasher, as there just wasn't that many, and it wouldn't take that long to begin with.

"Aren't we being all cute," he teased, hip checking her.

Instead of replying she stuck her tongue out at him, splashing him with water. Clint gasped, spraying her with water. And chaos ensued water getting everywhere in the kitchen as they had a water fight, laughter filling the small apartment. Once they called a truce, they changed into dry clothes and worked together to clean up the water mess they had made before they fell into bed together.

* * *

"Are you looking forward to meeting the parents?" Onyx questioned her best friend, before the morning bell, standing in his classroom.

"No and yes," he sighed, straightening the papers on his desk. "It's scary," he laughed nervously. "Not to mention that it's a ranch for troubled teens."

"You can handle the teens," she laughed, watching a few of his students trickle in. "You're afraid of the horses and the other animals they have," she teased him.

"Shut up," he grumbled. "Sure teens are the easy part," he nodded. "But those dang horses get me every time. You know how it is," he said.

"I do and the best advice I can give you is that it's time to overcome your fear of all animals you think are out to get you. The horses aren't going to hurt you; the chickens aren't going to eat you. The geese might chase you; the goat might headbutt you, the sheep; I'm not sure whether they will hurt you," she told him, trying her hardest not to laugh. "The cows won't bother you; the bulls might attack; I don't know; you'd have to ask your girlfriend about them," she said with a shrug.

"Want to know something?" He asked her. "You're not helping me out here," he told her, not waiting on her to answer him.

"Seb just put your big boy pants on, and you'll be fine," she told him, walking to the door, waiting on some students to enter the classroom.

"The only plus side to this whole thing, you get to deal with Jeremy," he laughed.

"Well there ya go, if you can deal with your brother, you can deal with a few farm animals," she laughed, making her exit and joining her students as they entered the classroom.

"With the unit test yesterday, and for the few of you that weren't here, I will be taking you to the library, so we can get the test taken before Winter break, the rest of you will be staying in the classroom and watching a movie," Jake informed the class after taking attendance.

"Pick a movie and that's what we'll be watching today and tomorrow," she told the class once Jake was gone with the few students who needed to take the test.

Each of the three classes was the same. Jake taking the students who missed the test to the library while the others watched a movie. On her lunch break, she had texted Clint to say that she would be home late as she wanted to stay after and grade some tests. She and Jake had worked out what half of the tests would be and split them up, so that way, neither one had a whole bunch to correct over Winter Break, ruining what they had planned with family and friends for work.

Once the end of the school day approached she decided that what work she had could be done at home. She did just have a fight about not being home enough, and she didn't want to fight about it yet again. She did stay an extra half hour wanting to make sure that she was available if any of her students needed to speak with her. Once that time was up she headed home, wanting to be there instead of at school, she wanted to curl up with her boyfriend and pup on the couch while she graded the tests.

If only he felt somewhat the same way as she did. She walked into her home seeing that her boyfriend invited over his friends, Jeff among them.

"I thought you were staying late at work?" Clint asked, looking up from the video game being played.

"That had been the plan, but I can easily grade the tests at home," she replied, setting her bags on the table.

"I can kick them out," he said, following her into the bedroom so could change into something more comfortable.

"As wonderful as that would be, you can't kick them out," she told him, stripping down to her undergarments. "To be fair you didn't know I was going to be home this early. I can curl up with Captain in bed and grade, and you enjoy your time with your guests," she smiled, sharing a kiss with him.

"Well now that you're home, Jeff can be your guest since he's your brother," he smirked.

"Yeah, nope, not gonna work," she laughed, exiting the bedroom and going straight to the kitchen to find a snack. "How'd they rope you into this?" She asked Jeff taking the open seat by her brother and Jay.

"Clint asked if I was bored yet, and if I wanted to come hang out, and this is better than an empty apartment any day," he nodded letting a soft sigh out.

"I know what you mean," she nodded. "But isn't Courtney supposed to be coming to stay for the next two weeks?" She asked him.

"Uh yeah," he said, taking a look at his phone. "She should be here within the next few minutes," he said getting up. "Do I still get your dog while you're gone?" He asked, walking to the door.

"Yep, Clint will bring him by on the 23rd, and we'll pick him up on the 28th while dropping off your presents," she nodded.

"I can handle five days," he nodded. "Thanks for the invite," he said looking at Clint.

"No problem. Stop by anytime," Clint told him, grabbing some beers for his friends.

"I take it all is good?" Jeff asked, pulling the door open.

"Yep," she nodded, giving her brother a hug. "I'll see you when I get back. You can open the present under your tree on Christmas or wait until I get back," she told him.

"We'll see," he laughed. "I'll be seeing you and have fun," he told her. "Your present is under your tree, and I guess you can open it tomorrow before you leave," he told her.

"Got it," she laughed, shutting the door now that Jeff was halfway down the hall waiting on the elevator as he didn't feel like taking the stairs. "Enjoy," she said, grabbing her bags and walking to the bedroom. "Captain, come," she said, getting the pup to run into the bedroom before she shut the door.

Being a teacher to a bunch of teenagers helped her block out the noise coming from the living room and let her focus her attention on each test, helping her fly through them in record time. She had just finished up grading the first-hour tests when Clint entered the bedroom leaving the door open.

"They all headed home; they dropped off some presents, and it's up to us when we want to open them. I gave them the presents we bought for them and their spouses, told them under no certain circumstances can they open them until the day of Christmas," he explained to her with a teasing tone.

"Jeff told me the same thing, but I don't think I'm going to have time tomorrow morning to open any presents, and I sure don't want to add more to what we have to take already," she told him, placing the tests back in the right spot of the folder.

"How about we open them after dinner," he suggested. Onyx nodded; she was okay with that plan. "Alright, I'll fix something up while you finish grading tests," he informed her, sharing a quick kiss. "Anything you're in the mood for?" He asked, pushing himself up off the bed.

"Nope, just whatever you can toss together without going out to get anything," she told him.

"I'll see what I can do," he nodded, letting her get back to work, leaving the door open since it was just the two of them.

It took a total of 10 minutes before she moved from the bed to the couch to finish up the small stack of tests she had to grade. Second period had been the class where the stack of tests were split in half. Grading those tests was easier than the first bunch, and she was done in time to help her boyfriend set the table for dinner.

"I talked to Jeremy and Dylan today when they found out that I was bringing you along for Christmas Eve dinner," she told her boyfriend as she dug into her plate of food. She had talked to them in the half hour she stayed after school for a few minutes. "They had just gotten in and were told."

"Yeah and are they just waiting to make my life hell for being in love with their pseudo sister?" He asked in a joking manner hiding the fear he really felt.

"Dylan promised to be on his best behavior, Jeremy says he will, but you've met him so you know partly what to expect there," she told him. "But the joking for them means they've accepted you. You'd really have to worry if they didn't tease and joke with you," she explained to him.

"Can't say that makes it any better," he sighed. "I've met your dad, and that was alright even with you being on the outs with him and in such a horrible situation, but the guy likes me, your moms adore me and wanted us together from the start," he smirked, remembering back to the first encounter he had of the two woman. "But now I have to impress and prove that I am good enough for you to people that you do see as family, that see you as a daughter to them. And I think that's scarier than meeting your real parents," he told her.

"The fact that you're coming with me, is all they need to know that you love me, and that you are good enough for me. Do you think that they hadn't grilled Seb about our relationship, and if you're good enough?" She asked him. His eyes went wide.

"Have they been quizzing Seb about us?" He asked.

"Yep," she confirmed. "Clint, no worries," she told him, taking his hand from across the table. "Just be you and they'll love you, not as much as I love you, but close enough," she teased.

"Gee thanks," he laughed.

"And besides if anyone should be freaking out, It should be me," she told him. "Meeting your parents the first time hadn't been under the best circumstances," she laughed.

"They love you; I've talked to them all since plenty of times, and they all remind me not to screw this up," he assured her.

"How about this," she said, licking her lips. "I won't screw up what we have, if you don't screw this up," she said.

"I can handle that," he agreed. "You do know that we have to actually talk about things and not let a repeat of what happened the last two, and half weeks occur again?" He asked.

"I know," she nodded. "We both knew that communication was key to us lasting and yet we both ignored it for too long, and I don't understand how or why we let it go on that long for," she sighed.

"I wish I had an answer for you, Onyx, but I'm just as baffled as you are as to why we let it go on that long for. That's not us," he sighed. "We've been somewhat good at talking."

"But really we've been good at hiding away from the other until it explodes like it had, so really that is us, and we need to change that behavior. Because I love what we have, and I only want it to change for the better," she told him.

"Same here," he agreed, kissing the back of her hand. "Now how about we leave this for now, and I'll deal with them later, and we go open some presents," he suggested.

"Now that is something I can do," she smiled, getting up, to move to the living room to open up a few presents and enjoy their last night in their apartment for the next five days.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey all, sorry with the delay with this one, my personal life has been a little hectic. There is quite a few characters in this chapter that belong to _KikiJuanita_ , they are as follows, Jeremy, Dylan, Abby, Henry, Brooke, Karen, and Courtney. You need to get permission from her to use any of them. The other unrecognizable characters belong to me and can't be used without my permission. Enjoy.**

* * *

After they checked into their hotel room and dropping their bags off, they headed out to find a quick bite to eat and enjoy the bit of the Christmas spirit that was decorated throughout town. They called it a night once they grew cold right through to their bones, not having to deal with such cold weather having called Texas home for the better part of the past almost 10 years. At least for Onyx and the few times she's made it back in winter isn't enough to get acclimated for the next year.

With Onyx wanting to spend more than just a few hours with the Smythe's, they headed over to the house after they had lunch, Clint not wanting to deny his girlfriend of the time spent with those she considered family. Onyx beyond excited to spend the last half of her day with everyone who would be there and to see how they took to Clint. While he, on the other hand, became nervous about the prospect of meeting them as he knew how important they are to his girlfriend. He hoped that he didn't turn into his jackass ways when he was a teen when the jokes went flying around the room.

"Come on," Onyx smiled, walking around the side of the house to the backyard where she heard the laughter and shrieks. Clint not wanting to face a family of strangers by himself followed behind his girlfriend.

"Should I ask?" He questioned, watching Onyx pack a handful of snow into a ball.

"Must you?" She tossed at him with a smirk, looking over the fence to see who is going to be her target. Clint shook his head, standing back to watch it unfold because he was sure that whoever she hit with a snowball would retaliate.

"What the what?" Jeremy asked, looking behind him, having been hit in the back of the head from Onyx's snowball. "You think that's funny?" Jeremy asked, scooping up snow to toss at a laughing Onyx.

"I don't think; I know," she laughed, entering the backyard, shutting the gate once Clint entered.

"Yeah?" Jeremy questioned, tossing the snowball.

Onyx ducked, the snowball sailing past her and hitting Clint. Onyx laughed making Clint grab a handful a snow to officially join into the snowball fight.

The second her fingers started to feel numb she headed inside through the backdoor, grabbing her boyfriend as she went, wanting him to meet the elder Smythes.

"I was starting to wonder when you'd grace us with your presence," Abby smiled, working on a pie. She'd heard their car pull in and seen the two of them outside goofing off with the others.

"Like I could pass up a snowball fight," she smiled, giving Abby a hug.

"Don't I know it," she laughed recalling the snow that flew through her house when her three boys and Onyx decided to run through the house to heat outside. "Have you forgotten your manners?" She asked, turning her attention to Clint.

"I'm sure if you asked a few they'd say I never had manners," she teased. "This is my boyfriend Clint," she told Abby. "This amazing woman is Abby, my third momma," she smiled, introducing the two of them.

"Such a charmer you are," Abby laughed, pulling Clint into a hug. "It's lovely to meet you, Clint," she told him.

"It's nice to meet you as well," he said, feeling a bit awkward from the hug.

"You act like I've never brought a guy over here," Onyx teased.

"Because you haven't," Henry said from behind them. "I want to believe they weren't special enough to meet us," he teased.

"I'll let you in on a secret; they weren't," she told him through some small laughs. "Clint this is Henry and Henry this is Clint, and he's the lucky one to meet you guys," she introduced once more.

"Hey," Clint said, shaking the older man's hand.

"Hello," Henry nodded. "I don't know how lucky you are when the troops call it quits out there," he chuckled.

"I've been warned," Clint chuckled. "That and I have seen Jeremy and Onyx at it, and I was promised not everyone is quite," he paused trying to think of the right word to describe one of Seb's brothers.

"We're not and we have a hard time trying to find the right word for that boy," Abby laughed.

"Where's Karen and Brooke?" She asked. Dylan, Jeremy, Sophia, Hollie and Jefferson were the only ones outside playing in the snow. Clint hadn't been introduced to any of them no one calling a truce long enough to do so.

"Wrapping some last minute gifts," Abby told her. "You guys are safe to go up. They're in Seb's old room," she informed them.

She really wished that everyone had been in the same room when they showed up, so she would've only had to do one big introduction of her boyfriend instead of a handful little ones. However, this is what she signed up for when agreeing to bring Clint along with her. On their way upstairs they placed their coats and shoes by the front door.

"Aren't we having a blast hiding away from the in-laws," Onyx smirked, pushing the door open hearing the quiet laughter coming from inside the room.

"Like she's one to speak, willingly joining the family and moving across the country for schooling and work," Brooke teased, holding her hands up for some assistance to get up from the floor.

"Yeah well," she shrugged, helping Brooke up. "I knew you were pregnant, but I wasn't expecting you to be ready to pop," she said, giving the older woman a hug, feeling the baby kick. "Does the little guy ever stop?" She asked with laughter, placing her hands on her stomach to feel the baby some more.

"Never," Brooke sighed, rubbing her stomach. "Dylan believes that he'll be here on New Years, he really wants him to be the first baby born of the new year," she explained.

"He should know with the twins that it doesn't work that way, right?" She asked with a laugh.

"You would think," Brooke nodded. "But enough about me, I do see a pretty sexy guy behind you," she smirked, looking around Onyx.

"Oh yeah, that's just me bringing sexy guys over for Christmas, sexy guys whom I happen to love," she smiled, looking at her boyfriend, as he stepped further into the room. "Brooke here is Dylan's wife, and Karen is Jeremy's girlfriend," she said, explaining who the two women are.

"Actually, I am now Jeremy's fiancée," Karen smiled showing her the 18k white gold Halo ring with a twisted band, the top half-filled with diamonds.

"Wow!" Onyx exclaimed, looking the stunning ring over, before pulling her into a hug. "Congratulations," she smiled.

"Thank you," Karen beamed, looking at her ring with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Brooke, Karen this is Clint, the unfortunate boyfriend who gets to deal with Jeremy and Dylan," she teased.

"Haha," Clint deadpanned. "You think you're so funny," he sarcastically said, giving an eyeroll.

"Yes I do," she smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

"But you're really not, babe," he teased. "This is the same Karen that Jeremy made you and Seb go on a double date with?" He asked, hoping it was the right information, and he wasn't mixing girlfriend's up.

"The one and same," Karen nodded. "He finally after all of these years confessed to the truth about that night," she laughed.

"Oh so he finally told you that he was a nervous wreck about messing up and not the lame excuse that he was on babysitting duties, and that he didn't want to cancel the date, so he brought us with him?" Onyx laughed.

"Yep," Karen laughed. "Though it was a sweet lie. And I had always wondered why he had to baby-sit the two of you for when you were old enough to be home alone," she said shaking her head.

"By now you know that's just Jeremy logic," Onyx shrugged.

"Speaking of, we'd better get down there, I can hear the lot of them entering the house," Brooke said, hearing the noise from three kids and two adult males float up the stairs from coming inside.

"Yeah and this one still needs to meet Dylan," Onyx shared.

"Dylan's a breeze to get along with compared to Jeremy," Karen said, Brooke easily agreeing as they made their way downstairs.

"So I have heard," he nodded, following the three women downstairs.

"See I knew way back when that you would end up with him," Jeremy smirked, from the couch drinking a cup of coffee.

"Oh yeah, among other things, I recall," she stated, giving an eyeroll. "Jeremy you already know and I am sorry for that, babe," she said flashing a smirk in Jeremy's direction. "This here is Dylan," she said, sharing half a hug with the man. "He's the cool one of these two," she said, sticking her tongue out at Jeremy.

"We sure those two aren't really related?" Clint asked smirking.

"We ask that question a lot especially when we were younger," Dylan laughed. "I like this one," he staged whispered to Onyx.

"He's the only one you've met," Onyx retorted with a chuckle. "And Dyl this is Clint; he's kinda my everything," she smiled at her boyfriend, taking a seat on the couch, Clint joining her once he shook hands with Dylan. "The two twin girls are Sophia and Hollie; they belong to Dylan and Brooke, and Jefferson; he belongs to Karen and soon to be Jeremy's stepson," she quietly explained to him. "Hey Jer, congrats on the engagement. Did you mess it up?" She asked with a hint of laughter.

"Haha," Jeremy fake laughed. "I did not mess it up. I'm not my little brother," he chuckled.

"Ouch, he's not even here," Onyx laughed.

"It's the little brother curse," Jeremy shrugged. "You heard from him?"

"Nope," she confirmed. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't be hearing from Seb until after the holidays, and they were all back home.

"So Clint, what is it, you do?" Dylan asked.

"You guys know that Jeff and Seb are already friends with him, so you don't have to go about scaring him off," Onyx stated.

"We know," Dylan nodded.

"Doesn't me aren't going to try," Jeremy smirked.

"We do want to get to know your boyfriend better. I mean, he's the only one that you brought over here. You were with Hunter for a year, and we never got to meet him as your boyfriend, just the teen who went to school with Seb," Dylan pointed out.

"I don't mind," Clint said, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "I own a jazz club; I have a sister; I am deeply in love with Onyx; I have no intention of hurting her ever. Let's see what else; I have no problem with her being best friends with Seb, never had," he rattled off. "What else do you want to know?" He asked, looking around the room.

"I think we need to hear the story of how you two met," Brooke suggested.

"Yeah, no you don't," Onyx stated, shaking her head. She wasn't embarrassed by the way they meet, just hated how Hunter hurting her played into the meeting.

"Is it that bad and embarrassing?" Jeremy asked with a laugh.

"Shut it," Onyx tossed at him. "You know the story," she told him. "But basically it was a bad day that shouldn't have been bad to begin with but Clint here made the bad day so much better," Onyx shared. "He was looking all sorts of miserable at what is now Blaine's bar, and I joined him and we hit off," she explained, leaving the parts about Hunter out of the story.

"It may have been a crappy day moreso for you than for me, but we made diamonds," Clint remarked, kissing her cheek.

"Now I see why you like him," Jeremy smirked. "He's all sorts of cheesy," he laughed.

"I'll take cheesy over the love of my life lying about why he needed his kid brother and best friend to double date with him," she smirked.

"You were told," Jeremy sighed, shaking his head.

"I always forget about that night and how nervous and freaked out he was," Dylan laughed. "Made me wish I didn't have a prior engagement to attend that night, so I could've gone with and witnessed it all," he teased.

"Can you imagine the lie he'd have to come up with as to why his older brother was with him?" Onyx laughed.

"That might have been worth it," Dylan laughed. "It's not like he could've said I was there for emotional support," he chuckled. "What would you have told Karen if I canceled to be there with you?" Dylan questioned looking over to his brother.

"That you couldn't live a second without your little brother, and that he begged and begged to come along and who I am to be mean and say no," Jeremy shrugged. "That work for you, Dylan?" He asked.

"Oh yeah," Dylan nodded with an eyeroll.

"But you know too bad that Silvia and a date at that the pier was more important," Jeremy shrugged.

"Ugh I hated her," Onyx grumbled.

"We know, if looks could kill she'd be dead twenty times over," Dylan laughed.

"Not my fault she thought she was better than me just because she was dating you," Onyx shrugged.

"I feel like there's a whole story to this," Clint commented.

"Oh there is," Jeremy laughed. "Though I am short on details to the whole thing," he shrugged.

"How can you forget?" Onyx asked him. "Dylan was supposed to show up to the sectionals where I was taking on my boyfriend here in Vocal Adrenaline, but he no showed because of a test retake, and Silvia bragged that he stayed behind for her," Onyx rolled her eyes. "That and she thought she was better than me because she was dating Dylan, and I was only friends with Seb," she tacked on.

"Hold up!" Jeremy said, looking at Clint. "You're telling me that your boyfriend here went to your old high school turned enemy?" He asked. Onyx nodded that yes, that was the case. "And you guys didn't know each other when going to the same school?" He asked looking between them.

"Ironically we didn't. We didn't know we went to the same school until we ran into each other at the bar when I received the worst shock of me life," she shrugged.

"You can't tell me that you knew every person you went to school with or that was in the theater with you," Clint commented.

"I didn't," Jeremy sighed thinking back to his high school days. There were the few of them that worked on sets that he didn't know. His fellow actors and actresses he knew because of chemistry and all.

"It was just meant to be when the time was right for them, like us, Jeremy," Karen smiled happily.

"Love does work wonders," Brooke smiled, looking at her husband.

"Alright, I am going to leave my boyfriend, the one that I love dearly in your hands, so if you make him run off, I will hurt you both," she warned, pressing a quick kiss to her boyfriend's lips and walking to the kitchen.

"Don't worry they're more bark than bite," Karen laughed, following Onyx into the kitchen.

"They wouldn't dare tick off Onyx, not with the horrors she knows for blackmail," Brooke smirked, getting her husband to help her off the couch.

"That seals it," Dylan laughed, kissing his wife while rubbing her stomach. "Do take it easy in there," he warned.

"Oh I will," she laughed, slowly making her way to the kitchen where she sat at the table out of the way. "He really must be special," Brooke commented.

"He very well is," Onyx smiled. "He honestly came into my life when I needed him and after everything these past six months he's still here, and he truly does have my heart in his hands," she shared.

"Marriage is on the horizon," Karen teased. "And I am not saying that because I have wedding fever either," she warned.

"Uh huh, we believe you dear," Abby laughed, putting her two helpers to work. Onyx and Brooke sharing in the laughter.

* * *

Dinner had been an interesting fair to say the least. Jokes and plenty of laughter went around the table all while Clint took it all in. They treated him like a part of their family, Dylan and Jeremy finding stories, they dared share of Onyx from when she'd spend time at their house growing up. Found out that they had plenty in common they bonded over striking up a friendship. Though at the end of the day he was happy that he only had one Smythe brother to deal with daily.

And poor Sebastian, what with Mikki sending pictures and videos of how his day was going with ranch life. And each picture showed just how terrified of the animals he happened to be. Flinching around the chickens, giving the horses a glare and to everyone's joy, they learned that Mikki's father had purchased a llama and when Seb went to see him, the guy spit right in Seb's face. Needless to say, Seb's Christmas wasn't going as well as it could be.

"I can see why you love them all for," he commented, as Onyx drove them back to the hotel.

"They make it easy," she nodded.

"I get why you spent a lot of time around there; I would've done the same thing," he laughed softly.

"Why's that?" She asked, pulling up to a stop sign.

"Because they put every family to shame and when you're with them, you're a part of the family. Something we didn't really get, not in that way," he shared.

"I didn't, and you're right they make you feel loved and a part of their lives the second you stepped through the door, and it's a feeling I didn't really get at home or at my dads, not the way you get that feeling at the Smythe's," she sighed.

"It's the feeling you want every time you come home," he said. "That and they make sure to keep you coming back, making sure to make you something without onions, making you a special coffee cheesecake," he laughed.

"What can I say, they love me," she giggled, pulling into the hotel parking lot. Her phone ringing cut off any more talk between them. "It's mom," she told him, answering her phone.

"I'll meet you up there," he told her, Making sure to grab the bag that held their presents. She nodded, letting him know that she heard him.

Getting to the room, he got himself prepared for bed, eager for the day to be, over so they could get tomorrow over with as well. He figured that tomorrow morning would be a breeze as he got along with Jade and Lydia. He wasn't worried about what morning brought, but moreso what tomorrow night brought with it. Not that his family would suddenly dislike his girlfriend, at the very least, he hoped that wasn't the case. It just felt weird to bring home a girlfriend for the holidays, because his ex, the one he was upset over the night, he met Onyx at the bar was the last girlfriend he brought home for the holidays, and that relationship failed horribly.

"Mom said we can show up around 8, but anytime after that, they're having breakfast without us," she informed her boyfriend as he exited the bathroom, and she entered the hotel room, taking her coat off.

"We'll be there before then, I am sure of it," he laughed, making himself comfortable on the bed.

"Heck yes, we will be," she stated, dropping her shoes by the door, walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. "I'm not about to miss out on breakfast because you couldn't get up," she told him adding a very pointed look at him.

"I'm setting the alarm now," he laughed. "And let's not forget that you're the one that needs to hit the snooze button in the morning," he countered with.

"That's why I had my alarm on the opposite side of my room when in school, so I wouldn't be late," she laughed.

"See that wouldn't work for me, I'd have thrown whatever I could reach at my alarm clock and bust something if not put a hole through the wall," he laughed.

"Hence why I got up to turn it off, effectively making me be up for the day," she stated. "Tonight wasn't all that bad," she commented, joining her boyfriend in bed.

"It wasn't," he agreed. "I do have to ask why I'm the first guy you brought with you to the Smythe's house?" He asked, reaching out to rest his hand on her hip as she faced him, seriously in thought.

"It would have been weird to take Mason to meet them, even if they are a second family to me. It didn't feel right; it was just strange to think about bringing him around. Not that I put much thought into," she told him. "And Hunter, the guys knew him, and they despised him so it wasn't worth bringing him around for, not when they wouldn't change their minds about him. And even though I had been with him for six months at the time, I couldn't bring myself to ask him to join because I couldn't see a definite future with him," she finished explaining to him.

"What about us? We haven't made it to the 6th-month mark, and you brought me with to meet them. What's the difference?" He asked, his thumb caressing her skin where her top had ridden up.

"We've been together for four months, and I see a future with you. I can see it all with you and if that makes me a fool in love so be it," she told him.

"Then it makes both of us fools in love," he smiled at her. "Because I can see it all, and I want to have it all with you," he confessed, closing the space between them and attaching his lips to hers, as he pushed her onto her back, his hands exploring her body as her hands did the same to his body.

* * *

"We were about ready to eat without you," Lydia teased, welcoming the two into the house.

"Lies," Onyx laughed, hanging her coat up. "Where's mom?" She asked, making a note on how the house didn't smell very Christmas like. In fact, walking past the living room she saw no tree or very little Christmas decorations. "And also why isn't their decorations and what happened to the tree?" She asked.

"With Jeff's accident, I hadn't been in the mood to decorate." And she got that, she did, but even though she wasn't at home to celebrate the holiday, she had roped Clint into putting decorations up and a small artificial tree, because it didn't seem like Christmas without her home feeling like it.

"Not only that, with it just being the four of us, we didn't see the hassle of getting everything out only to take it down again. And we do leave for a cruise tomorrow, so it was easier to keep things the same," Lydia pipped up.

"Now let's eat," Jade told them, leading the group through to the kitchen, where a more Christmas feel rested.

"Unbelievable," Clint said shaking his head after having a bite of the waffles that were on his plate. "Really?" He asked, turning his head to the right where his girlfriend sat, a smirk on her lips.

"Is something, wrong?" Jade asked, setting her coffee cup on the table, looking between her daughter and her boyfriend.

"No, nothing's wrong," he said shaking his head, taking another bite of waffle.

"He's learning that when it comes to holidays and family that I get whatever I want and on most cases that has something to do with some sort of food being coffee related," Onyx explained, using her fork to cut a bite-size piece of her waffle.

"To be fair we didn't start making these waffles until after she left for college," Jade commented; Lydia's waffles were normal ones, forgoing the coffee waffles this time around.

"I didn't even know that you could make coffee waffles, and as much as I enjoy eating them, I don't know if I would want them all the time," Onyx shrugged. "But now you know for when you want to do something special," she smiled at him.

"Trust me, it's all noted," he chuckled. He knew that his girlfriend liked coffee, more than anyone he's ever met before, but coming home for the holidays with her, opened his eyes to the fact that she loved coffee and everyone close to her knew it.

Dylan and Brooke and their twin girls and gotten her an elephant coffee mug with some fancy coffee he's never heard of, but she laughed promising to fill him in on the story behind the coffee. Jeremy and Karen had actually gotten her a special blend of coffee from Italy, when they had taken a week away before Jeremy's life became busy with rehearsals and such. When he had opened his presents, somewhat shocked to learn they had gone out and got him something as well, he was stunned and figured pretty quick that his girlfriend had given them some ideas to what he liked.

"There was one point in her life where she hated coffee and drank tea instead," Lydia laughed.

"Yeah, then high school happened, and I needed to stay awake to study for finals and college only followed, and now I love my coffee even if the caffeine does nothing for me," she shrugged.

"She still does drink tea," Clint smiled.

"Just occasionally with you," Onyx smiled, biting into some bacon.

The four of them lapsed into silence as, they finished eating their breakfast. Jeff face timing them as, they had finished eating were sitting around the table drinking coffee and making small talk to what they would be up to and how things have been going for the couple in Texas.

"Someone's up early," Onyx teased, answer the call from her brother.

"A whole hour later than you, how early for me," Jeff sarcastically replied. "Did Mom make her coffee waffles?" He asked.

"Uh huh and they were a hit like always," Onyx smirked.

"Rub it in," Jeff sighed. "Though Courts is making double chocolate pancakes," he smirked.

"Nasty," she choked out. "Here I will let you talk to Mom while eating your nasty pancakes," she told him, handing the phone off. "Let me show you around," she offered Clint, putting her dirty dishes in the sink, Clint following suit.

"I am interested in seeing this childhood room of yours," he teased, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, it's turned into a craft room," she laughed. "I can show you Jeff's room; that is the guest room around here," she told him. "When we hung out here, it was done in the basement, not sure if they have done anything with that space," she told him heading upstairs. In the few times that she's been home she's never ventured down to the basement.

"Is your mom trying to tell us or you something?" He asked, looking into what should have been the craft room. Onyx frowned, looking around him to see what he was going on about.

"I think she might be," she replied, taking in the soft yellow of the room; one wall had a red barn painted on it; little farm animals littered the other three walls. A crib sat in one corner, a change table on the other side of the room. And if she were to open the dresser, she was sure she'd find baby clothes along with other baby essentials in the closet.

She moved from her old room that was now a nursery to Jeff's room across the hall from hers, to see what they had done with his. The walls remained the same blue/gray color they have always been, but instead of the queen-size bed in the center of the room, now there were bunk beds against the wall, and venturing further into the room, she saw a desk by the window, boy clothes in the closest two different sizes on either side, and in the opposite corner from the desk stood a little video game center.

"I'm starting to think they forgot to mention something," Onyx said, spinning around to look at her boyfriend.

"I'm sure we can come to the same conclusion here, but babe, let's not jump ahead of ourselves here and let your moms explain everything fully," he told her, pulling her into a hug resting his chin on top of her head. "You good with that plan?" He asked, rubbing her back in slow circles.

"I am," she nodded against his chest. "Let's go see what they're gonna say, huh?" She asked, making no move to actually leave the embrace of her boyfriend.

"In a few minutes," he told her, relishing in the moment with his girlfriend.

When they had made their way back downstairs, they had moved into the living room, still talking to Jeff.

"Give Clint a tour?" Lydia asked, seeing the couple join them.

"Uh huh," Onyx nodded, lacing her fingers with Clint's. "Couldn't help but notice the remodel you guys did," she commented.

"Uh yes," Jade nodded. "It would've been nice to have Jeff here as well to share the news in person, but this will have to do," mother told her children, looking at Lydia.

"I'm pregnant," Lydia smiled. "The due date is in June, if it goes according to plan. I always thought that I didn't to have kids because I did have you two," she explained, looking from Onyx to Jeff on the phone. "And when I learned that I didn't have much time left to conceive a baby, it made me think, and I do want to experience it all," she smiled.

"It's something we discussed at great lengths, and we agreed that we wanted this," Jade smiled, taking her wife's hand.

"I am happy for you; I really am," Onyx smiled.

"Ditto," Jeff smiled. "Congratulations, Lyd's you'll be a good mom to your little one," he praised her.

"The best mom ever," Onyx agreed.

"Congratulations," Clint smiled, happy for them.

"And?" Onyx asked looking at the two woman whom she loved greatly.

"And what?" Jeff asked.

"And we decided that we wanted to adopt, this was before Lydia got the urge to have a baby, and we want a full house once more so we're adopting two little boys. One is 10, and the other is 8. If everything goes according to plan they'll be here full-time at the end of January," Jade explained.

"You guys sure you're not taking on too much?" Jeff asked, worried it'd be too much too fast.

"We can handle it," Lydia nodded. "We know it seems like a lot, but we wouldn't be doing any of this if we didn't think for a second we couldn't deal," she assured them.

"As long as you guys are happy and can deal with what comes with three kids, then I am happy for you all, and we'll even come stay for a while around the due date," Onyx told her moms.

"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Clint smiled.

"I'll be there too; I want to meet my new siblings, all three of them," Jeff said. "And like Onyx said, if you guys are happy, then so am I," he told them. "I love you all," Jeff said. "And yes, Captain is being well taken care of, and he misses you both, but he's good," Jeff told his sister and friend. "But I'm going to go," Jeff told them.

Onyx put her phone back into her pocket with everyone saying their byes to Jeff and the group moving onto opening presents.

"Now don't be disappointed," Jade said, handing Onyx a box. "We got you guys a little couple's gift," she explained, sitting back down, waiting for them to open the present together.

"A fleece blanket?" Onyx asked a bit skeptical. "You know it doesn't get quite that cold, right?" She asked, loving how soft the blue plaid blanket felt against her fingers.

"Why don't you look under the blanket?" Lydia asked with an amused smile.

Onyx shrugged, handing the blanket to Clint. "You got reservations to the little Bed and Breakfast that you guys adore in the Rocky's?" She questioned, reading the paper over.

"We love it up there, and we figured you guys would as well," Jade nodded.

"Thank you," Clint said. "I do think that we'll enjoy our time up in the mountains," he told them.

"We will," Onyx nodded.

After spending another hour with her moms they headed over to Clint's childhood home, laughing at how close they had been throughout their high school years.

"I almost wanted to believe that you wouldn't be showing up," Puck teased as they joined the group in the living room having already shared hellos.

"And why is that?" Onyx asked, looking at him.

"I heard what happened to your brother. I figured you'd be spending the holidays with him," Puck shrugged.

"I always forget that you're friends with him as well," she nodded. "If he would've needed me, I would have been there. I offered, to be the nice caring sister that I am, but he's got his girlfriend over taking care of him, and he doesn't need his sister to interfere in the middle of that," she laughed.

"I'm going to see if they need any help in the kitchen," Clint stated, leaving his girlfriend, his sister's husband, his niece and nephew and his dad Leroy in the living room.

"What's going on there?" Leroy questioned once Clint was out of sight. He wasn't mad that his son had pretty much stormed out of the room; he was more understanding about the fact couples fight and that something serious had went down between the two of them.

"A major disagreement we let get out of hand," she explained. "Though I thought we had moved past it days ago," she sighed. Everything was excellent between them, better than excellent actually.

"With that reaction, I think it's quite clear that he's not over it," Puck nodded. "Think maybe you should track him down."

"No, really?" She asked sarcastically, heading the direction her boyfriend went.

"He went upstairs," Rachel said, covered in flour. "He looked upset. Anything we need to worry about?" She asked.

"Nope," she replied, noticing the stairs tucked into the corner of the kitchen.

"It'll be the second door on the right," Hiram called after her.

She nodded in thanks and headed upstairs to find her boyfriend and figure out what had just happened. The door she needed stood half open; she pushed it open to see her boyfriend sitting on the bed, his head in his hands.

"So this is your room, huh?" She asked, looking around, not a bit surprised by the posters featuring women in barely there bikinis and the car posters. It did look very much like Jeff's room at her dad's house while growing up.

He remained quiet, sitting up, watching as she walked around his room, trying to get to know the teen him. With a sigh, she sat down next to him on the bed.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked.

"Funny, I was going to ask that very question," she told him. "What's going on?" She asked him.

"Why didn't you say anything about wanting to stay behind with Jeff?" He asked, getting up to shut the door, not wanting his family to hear anything they said.

"Because it wasn't anything important," she told him. "I did it to be nice and Jeff knew that. He knew how important this trip is to me, and us," she started to explain, pushing herself up off the bed and standing before him. "There was no way I would miss these last two days and the days to come with you. However, I did feel a bit guilty about leaving Jeff behind; I can't feel sorry about that," she told him.

"Of course you're going to feel guilty about the situation, but it would have been nice to know before now," he sighed. "It honestly took me by surprise, and it did hurt to think that maybe you didn't want to do this. That you didn't want me to meet Sebastian's family, since hey you're close with them all, and yet they didn't meet a single boyfriend you've had, that you didn't want me to intrude on your morning ritual with your moms, or that you didn't want to come here, knowing how significant this is to me, silly me, I thought it was important to you as well," he said, running a hand down his face.

"Trust me all of this is important to me," she assured him. "My exes, weren't important enough to spend the holidays with me. I didn't love them the way I do you, Clint. I don't want to be anywhere else. I wanted to share with you the things I do for Christmas; I want you to be a part of it," she explained to him, taking his hands in hers.

"What about Mason? You spent a good chunk of high school with him. Even as a teen you loved him, believed him to be the great love of your life, didn't he partake in any of it?" He asked.

"Nope," she smiled shaking her head. "He did offer for me to come to his family's dinner, but I couldn't cancel on mom or dad, and it was just weird as a teen to invite my boyfriend around to my best friend's house," she explained. "I love you and I want to share it all with you, Clint. Every single awkward family moment, I want to do that with you. Maybe it is my bad in not mentioning it to you, and I am sorry for that," she apologized.

"And I am sorry for overreacting," he smiled, cupping her face, drawing her into him to share a kiss.

"I wouldn't mind a quickie here in teen Clint's room, but I am not about to have sex on a bed you've brought your little conquests to in high school," she told him breaking their kiss.

"Actually, I haven't slept with anyone on that bed, so you'd be the first," he smirked, moving backwards to the bed.

"I feel honored," she smiled, nipping his bottom lip. "But again, any one of your family members can come up here and catch us, and I don't want to be remembered as the woman who had her wicked away with their son or brother," she told him. "Trust me, it's only a raincheck until the hotel room," she smirked, making her exit, knowing that they would be okay.

"Oh I know," he remarked, easily catching up to her and tossing his arms around her, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the hallway. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

"Oh geez, there's a room right there," Rachel muttered, seeing the two of them in a heated lip lock.

"Don't even play that card," Clint snorted, smirking at his sister.

"Oh please, he's my husband," Rachel retorted, giving an eyeroll.

"Your point being?" Clint asked. "Onyx is my girlfriend and I have the right to kiss her where and when I want to," he stated.

"Excuse you," Onyx said, giving him a pointed look. "Do I not get a say in this?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of course," Clint shrugged. "Though are you really going to turn me down?" He asked with a small pout.

"I think I might," she smiled, turning on her heel, leaving her stunned boyfriend and his laughing sister behind.

"Everything good?" Hiram questioned seeing his sons girlfriend join them in the living room.

"More than," Clint answered, pulling Onyx down to sit in the chair with him.

"Trust me, they only wanted a rouse, so they could make out like horny teenagers," Rachel said, smiling sweetly.

"I can't help that my girl looks this good," Clint smirked, kissing the top of her head.

"Considering the mess I was when we met," she replied.

"Actually, my first thought of you when you came into the bar is how stunning you were and wondering why you were so dressed up for such a place," he laughed.

"Until you learned that Jeff ran the place," she nodded.

"Yep," he agreed. "And when we went back to your place, seeing you in your sweats that's when I saw the beauty that you really are," he confessed.

"Someone is trying to get lucky," Puck teased.

"Lucky for what?" Gracie asked, looking up from where she sat playing with a doll on the floor.

"A very special toy," Puck told his daughter.

"Like my army men?" Isaiah asked, holding one of the green plastic guys up.

"Something like that," Clint nodded, trying really hard not to laugh at the situation they found themselves in.

"Uncle Clint what is it you want Santa to bring?" Gracie asked, abandoning her doll.

"What do I want from Santa this year?" He asked. It may be cliché of him to say but he's got everything that he could ever want. "Maybe some video games," he told his niece.

"Like Daddy and Isaiah," Gracie rolled her eyes.

"We can't all get new baby dolls," Clint chuckled.

"I don't see why not," Gracie shrugged. "They're pretty," she commented. "Aunty Onyx what do you want Santa to bring you?" She asked, unaware of the small tension and shock she caused by calling Onyx aunt.

"I think I would like to have a new baby doll," she told the little girl. "One with a cute little pink outfit."

"Like mine," she smiled big holding up her doll.

"What?" Onyx gasped, feigning shock. "Just like that one," Onyx smiled.

With the spare time they had before the food would be ready they decided to open presents. This time it was Onyx's turn to be a little surprised with the little elephant trinkets she was given. Clint slightly rolled his eyes where his girlfriend couldn't see because at this rate, their apartment would be overran with elephant and safari trinkets and decorations.

It wasn't long after they had eaten dessert that they called it a night, really just wanting to go back to the hotel and call it a night, wanting nothing more than to sleep in the morning.

"I don't want you to think that I had forgotten about you," Onyx said, joining her boyfriend in bed, placing a small package in his lap. "I just wasn't sure when the perfect time was to give this to you and at whose house, so I thought it would be best to give it to you when it was us," she lamely explained.

"I was thinking the same thing," he chuckled. "I thought maybe last night, then thought no today would be better and really figured it would be best now," he told her, grabbing the small box from the nightstand. "Go on open yours," he urged her, not worried about what she got him.

She anxiously unwrapped the Christmas paper, tossing it on the floor to pick up later. She gave her boyfriend a look opening the black box to see the stunning open heart pendant necklace with elegant contrasting black-and-white diamonds.

"Clint this is so beautiful," she whispered. If they weren't in bed, she'd have him put the necklace on her. "I love it," she told him, looking from the necklace to him. "I love you," she said, closing the distance to kiss him. "Now open mine," she told him, breaking the kiss.

"Okay, okay," he laughed, unwrapping the present, faster than Onyx had done hers. "Oh gee how thoughtful," he said looking anything but impressed.

"I thought it was cute," she told him.

"It's cute alright," he said, looking over the phone case with a picture of them on it.

"Don't be like that," she scoffed, placing her necklace still in the box on the night stand next to her, moving to curl up with her boyfriend. "Your real present is at home; I couldn't exactly bring it along," she said. "And you will love it," she assured him. She got him a little oak barrel brewery kit.

"I don't doubt that," he chuckled, tossing the phone case and paper off the bed. "Now I believe I am ready to cash in on that raincheck from earlier," he smirked, pulling her on top of him, attacking her neck.


End file.
